Jinko Gotoh’s love for animation began as a child in Japan. But as someone who didn’t draw, she could never have guessed that she would go on to produce some of the largest animated blockbusters of all time, from Finding Nemo and Fantasia 2000 to Mortal Kombat and Space Jam, among many, many others.

The realization that animation could be a career path didn’t come until she studied engineering at Columbia University, where she stumbled upon a programming course.

We recently spoke with Jinko about her career, straddling cultures, technology, and her advocacy work.