enrique navarrete shrek 2

In the last edition of Mundos Digitales we attended one of the best conferences on animation that we could have been present at. Enrique Navarrete explained, step by step, the making process of a shot for a 3D animated film.

Enrique began his career, like so many people, in the world of the graphical design and the illustration, but their artistic restlessness took him to the world of the animation. He arrived at Dreamworks to work in 'Prince of Egypt', and later he would pass to work at PDI in 'Antz'. His last film is the amazing 'Shrek 2'.

We have spoken with Enrique on his beginnings, his training, his entry in Dreamworks, the step from 2D to 3D, his work in 'Shrek 2' as Character Animator and his future projects.

El Portal del 3D y la Animación -You have worked in 2D and 3D animated films, and also in the world of advertising. What is your training? Which was your experience before getting to Dreamworks?

Enrique Navarrete - I started working when I was 18 years old for an advertising agency inMexico City. I was an assistant to the art director and basically all Iknew back then was to draw. I didn't know exactly what I wanted tostudy, I wanted to stay in the commercial art side but I wasn't sure ifit was going to be illustration, graphic design or sculpting. Animationnever really crossed my mind. I decided to study Graphic design and got a BFA from the Iberoamerican university. My major was in illustration.I worked in advertising for 15 years starting as an Art Directorassistant, then, an Art Director and finally a CreativeDirector. I worked for companies such as Mc Cann Erickson Advertising, Leo Burnett Advertising, Young and Rubicam Advertising amongst others.

After 15 years doing adds I realized I needed a change, somethingcloser to art as I have thought originally and I discovered Animation. A friend of mine invited me to an animation studio where he was working and, Bingo!, that was it! It really hit me! that's what I was looking for. It was drawing, and then drawing and at the enddrawing! great! of course this was the turning point of my careerbecause I immediately decided to study again. That's how Idecided to go to SheridanCollege in Oakville, Canada. I learned theprinciples of classical animation and when I graduated I was offered a job at Dreamworks.

Enrique - Well, I have always been interested in computers. I knew some graphic packages such as Illustrator, freehand and photoshop. When I started at Dreamworks I talked to my boss about 3D training. I wanted to learn Softimage because they had a new project called “Shrek”. It was 1996, Toy story had just being released and there were very few computer animators.I thought that maybe someday computers would take over animation. I’m glad I did it because I would be unemployed now.

The transition was smooth. I adjusted to the 3D environment in 2 or 3 months but unfortunately “Shrek” was cancelled and I was sent back to Prince of Egypt. I’m saying that Shrek was cancelled because they original planned the film to be motion capture. That’s the part that was canceled. They thought it was better to wait and produce the film the good old fashion way (key framed) immediately after “Antz”.Since I had this CG training, I was offered the possibility to go to PDI and work on “Antz” as a computer animator. Remember that PDI became partners with Dreamworks to do CG films. Antz was the second 3D animated film in history and it was very interesting for me to become part of this challenge.

3DA - After working at Dreamworks, you returned to Mexico, where you created your own studio, La Mamá de Tarzán, and during four years you worked mainly in advertising spots. In what kind of projects you worked? What would you emphasize of that time?

Enrique - Starting my own studio was difficult. It took a lot of work. It was like a year until I got my first interesting project. It was “Gansito”. Gansito is a mexican snack that’s always been animated in LA. This time, for some reason, they didn’t have either the budget or the time to produce it abroad so they gave it to us. It was so important to us and at the end, after a month of production we finished the spot and delivered it on time. Our client was very happy and since then they have been giving work to the studio.I directed around 50 projects in four years as a director. I didTV Spots, animatics, TV specials, trailers for feature films and internet projects.

I would emphasize how hard it is to have your own studio and to be a director/animator at the same time. Most of the day you are talking to the client, going to meetings and supervising your employees. At night, you have to be an animator.

3DA - After those 4 years, Dreamworks contacted you to return to work for them on 'Shrek 2'. Did you find many changes after those 4 years? What has changed from 'Antz' to ‘Shrek 2'?

Enrique - Well, it wasn’t really like that. I was on a bussines trip in Vegas when I found out that a very good friend of mine had passed away. His funeral was going to be that weekend and since Las vegas and San Francisco are close, I decided to take an airplane.

I saw again all of my friends from PDI at the funeral, including my former boss. He asked me if I was interested to come back and work on “Shrek 2”. I was fed up dealing with clients and commercials and it sounded very interesting to go back and do another feature film, specially “Shrek 2”.

If you wait until the end of Shrek 2, read the credits for animation and at the beginning it says: “ In memorial of Edip Agy”. That was my friends name.

Funny, he brought me back...

3DA - You have been involved on ‘Shrek 2’ as a Character Animator. In how many shots have you worked? Could you tell us some specific shots and what characters have you animated?

Enrique - I worked on approximately 30 shots. I can’t remember the exact number. I animated the part were Shrek, Donkey and Puss get to the Fairy god mother’s factory. The scenes were puss is on Shrek’s shoulder and They are making fun of Donkey. I specially like the scene were Puss starts laughing like crazy with a very corny joke Shrek does. I also animated the part were they are dancing 'La vida loca' at the end, if you notice, Shrek dances a little bit like a Spanish dancer. That’s my latin influence on the film.

On those scenes as well as all the other I animated, I did all the characters. We are not assigned to any specific character. We are assigned to a sequence.

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