Ringling College Graduates Win Big at 2017 Oscars

Ringling College of Art and Design conveyed congratulations to Walt Disney Animation Studios and the 23 Ringling College graduates who worked on ‘Zootopia’ on their Oscar® win for best animated feature film at the 89th Academy Awards®.

Ringling also congratulated graduate Patrick Osborne for his Oscar nomination for best animated short for ‘Pearl’ – the first virtual reality film to ever be nominated for an Academy Award. Patrick won an Oscar in 2014 for his animated short “Feast’.

“We want to thank the Academy for honoring the hard work and passion that each and every artist put into ‘Zootopia’ – the film, and its message of unity in a complex world, has been recognized in ways we couldn’t have possibly imagined,” Zootopia directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore and producer Clark Spencer commented upon Zootopia’s nomination.

The roster of Ringling College of Art and Design graduates who worked on ‘Zootopia’ include:

• Lauren (Leffingwell) Albers ’09, Illustration
• Ramya Chidanand ’11, Computer Animation
• Christopher Cordingley ’03, Computer Animation
• Ryan DeYoung ’09, Computer Animation
• Ryan Duncan ’02, Computer Animation
• Jason Figliozzi ’08, Computer Animation
• Alex Garcia ’06, Computer Animation
• Jorge Garcia ’09, Computer Animation
• Kim Hazel ’08, Computer Animation
• Bobby Huth ’07, Computer Animation
• Sarah Kambara ’14, Business of Art & Design
• Mike Klim ’10, Computer Animation
• David Lisbe ’09, Computer Animation
• Chris Nabholz ’07, Computer Animation
• Katie Reihman ’08, Computer Animation
• Brian Scott ’04, Computer Animation
• Justin Sklar ’11, Computer Animation
• Lindsey St. Pierre ’13, Computer Animation
• Emily Tse ’09, Computer Animation
• Kendra Vander Vliet ’09, Computer Animation
• Dylan VanWormer ’11, Computer Animation
• Yezi Xue ’10, Computer Animation
• Nara Youn ’06, Computer Animation

“We are consistently amazed with the creativity and achievements of our graduates,” Ringling College President Dr. Larry R. Thompson said. “We applaud their recognition by the Academy last night and congratulate them and all of our graduates who have been honored through the nomination process by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for their mastery in telling powerful and moving visual stories.”

Dr. Larry R. Thompson, André Holland, Joseph Restaino, Wey Lin and Tony Stopperan

“We are consistently amazed with the creativity and achievements of our graduates” – Dr. Larry R. Thompson, President, Ringling College

Ringling graduates were credited in two of the other Oscar-nominated animated feature films this year including, on ‘Kubo’: Michael Berger, Brett Carville, Katie Knudson, Tarun Lak, Onyee Lo, Jarred Love and Carolyn Vale, and on ‘Moana’: Jason Figliozzzi, Jorge Garcia, Michael Stieber, Kendra Vander Vliet, Nara Youn, Ryan DeYoung, Bryan Locantore, Brian Scott, Chris Nabholz, Lauren Albers, Dylan VanWormer and Reece Porter.

At the 2016 Academy Awards 13 Ringling College graduates worked on Pixar Studios Oscar®-winning animated feature film ‘Inside Out’ and in 2015 29 Ringling Graduates worked on Disney’s Oscar-winning animated feature film ‘Big Hero 6’.

The Oscar winning best picture ‘Moonlight’ also has Sarasota ties, with film producer Adele Romanski, a Pine View High School graduate, accepting the Oscar for best picture. Moonlight actor André Holland recently toured the construction site for Ringling College’s new soundstage and post-production complex, which is slated to begin operations this spring.

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