In this episode we sit down with animator and director Aaron Blaise—best known for his work on Disney classics like The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Brother Bear.

Aaron opens up about his journey through the animation industry, his personal losses, and how those experiences led him to create his independent short film Snow Bear—a deeply emotional story inspired by real grief and healing.

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https://snowbearshort.com/
https://polarbearsinternational.org/
https://npca.org/
https://CreatureArtTeacher.com
@Aaronblaiseart

Short films mentioned at the end:

Forevergreen

The Girl with Occupied Eyes

Playing God

Patrick Lin is a Hong Kong-born cinematographer and layout artist who has worked as director of photography on The Incredibles (2004), Up (2009), Inside out (2015), Toy Story 4 (2019), and most recently the original series Win or Lose (2025).

Patrick shares his journey from growing up in Hong Kong to building a career in animation and cinematography at one of the most iconic studios in the world. We talk about how layout differs from traditional camera work, what it means to bring live-action sensibilities into an animated pipeline, and the technical and emotional storytelling power of virtual lenses.

Patrick breaks down the cinematographic choices behind some of Pixar’s most memorable moments — from the emotional weight of a static 50mm lens in Up, to crafting multiple visual languages in Win or Lose. He shares what collaboration really looks like at Pixar, how camera and lighting teams communicate emotion. We also talk about what it’s like to direct visuals across a whole series and the future of CG cinematography as technology progresses.

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