Travis J Blaise
editBorn May 5th, 1970, Travis J Blaise is an American animator, story artist, and director. Travis is best known for storyboard artistry with Disenchantment (2021), Big Mouth (2017), Penn Zero: Part-time Hero (2014), and his animation work with Brother Bear (2003), Lilo and Stich (2002), Mulan (1998), and The Lion King (1994). He has been in the industry for more than 31 years.
Biography
editEarly Life
editTravis was born on May 5th, 1970, in Burlington, VT, in the United States. His parents are Marshall James Blaise and Mary Christine Fuller (deceased) and his stepfather is John Austin (deceased). Travis has one biological brother, Aaron Blaise, two half-sisters, and five half-brothers. Travis’s biological father, Marshall, is a musician and master carpenter. John, his stepfather, was an interior designer, landscape artist, and graduate of Syracuse University. Aaron, Travis’s brother, is a director, animator, art instructor, and founder of CreatureArtTeacher.
Travis graduated in 1988 from Barron Collier High School in Naples, Florida. While in high school, Travis was the captain for three of his four years on the Varsity wrestling team. After high school, he studied Illustration at Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, from 1988 to 1992. Before graduating college, Travis completed two consecutive internships with Walt Disney Animation Studios and was then hired.
Career
editTravis worked with Walt Disney Animation Studios from 1990-2004. During his 14-year career, he worked as an in-between artist and animator on films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Tarzan, Brother Bear, and several other productions, including video games related to Disney’s major animation pictures.
In 2001 Travis co-directed and animated an animation short, Timmy’s Lesson in Nature[1].
After Disney, Travis worked for Project Firefly Animation Studios for a year and a half. During that time, he was an animator for Curious George. He then worked with Cartoon Network from 2006-2008 heading up animation for the music video portions of the tv show Class of 3000.
In 2011 Travis worked at Digital Domain in Stuart, Florida. He was a senior story artist, animator, and character designer. Travis was at the studio for over a year before it closed due to bankruptcy[2].
After Digital Domain, Travis’s continued working as a story artist, 2d animator, and character designer from 2012-2021[3]. His projects were with many major studios, notably Disneytoon Studios, The Walt Disney Company, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Netflix, and Warner Bros. Animation Studio.
In 2017 Travis founded SketchToAnimate[4], a production company, a learning institution, and a community for people who dream of becoming storytellers. He is an educator in the animation industry. Travis has lectured at various film festivals, mentored MFA students to produce film shorts, and taught college courses for story development.
Travis, with SketchtoAnimiate, offers workshops and tutorials based on his career as an animator, story artist, and director. [5]
Personal Life
editTravis is divorced and has two children from his marriage. He has lived in Vermont, Florida, California, Washington, and Mexico. Travis is a pescatarian.
Filmography
editAnimation Department
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Characters & Notes |
| 2021 | Disenchantment | Storyboard Artist (2 episodes) | - Bad Moon Rising (2021)
- Beanie Get Your Gun (2021) |
| 2016 | Pink & Blue (short) | Animator | Animator: Title Sequence |
| 2015 | Unhinged (short) | Animator | |
| 2011 | Little Big Panda | Animator | |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five | Animator | Video Short |
| Spaceballs: The Animated Series (TV series) | Storyboard Animatic Artist (1 episode) | Outbreak (2008) (storyboard animatic artist: Fantasy Prone Interactive) | |
| 2007 | Slacker Cats (TV series) | Animator (1 episode) | - Casino Miaow (2007) |
| Class of 3000 (TV series short) | Animator (3 episodes) | ||
| 2006 | Curious George | Animator | Animator (project firefly) |
| 2003 | Brother Bear | Animator (“Koda”) | Koda |
| 2002 | Lilo and Stitch | Animator (“Stitch”) | Stitch |
| 2001 | Timmy’s Lessons in Nature (short) | Animator | |
| 1999 | How to Haunt a House (short) | Animator | |
| Tarzan | Additional Animator | ||
| 1998 | Mulan | Animator (“Shan-Yu,” “Falcon,” “Elite Huns”) | Shan-Yu, Falcon, Elite Huns |
| 1996 | Pinocchio (Video Game) | Animator | |
| The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Animator (“Frollo”) | Frollo | |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Animator (“English Settlers,” “Native Americans”) | English Settlers, Native Americans |
| 1994 | The Lion King (Video Game) | Animator | |
| The Lion King | Assistant Animator (“Zazu") | Zazu | |
| 1993 | Aladdin (Video Game) | Animator | |
| Trail Mix-Up (Short) | Inbetween Artist | ||
| 1992 | Aladdin | Inbetween Artist (“Jasmine”) | Jasmine |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Inbetween Artist (“Beast”) | Beast |
Art Department
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Episodes |
| 2018 | Clash-A-Rama! (TV Series) | Storyboard Artist (5 episodes) | - Lost in Donation (2018)
- Donny and the Spell Factory (2018) - Clone Alone (2018) - Every Hog Has Its Day (2018) - The Clashmaker (2018) |
| Big Hero 6: The Series (TV Series) | Storyboard Artist (1 episode) | - Failure Mode (2018) | |
| 2017 | Big Mouth (TV Series) | Storyboard Artist (3 episodes) | - The Head Push (2017)
- Girls Are Horny Too (2017) - Everybody Bleeds (2017) |
| Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (TV Series) | Storyboard Artist (3 episodes, additional storyboards - 1 episode) | - At the End of the Worlds (2017)
- The Last Mountain Beast (2017) - The Bewildering Bout of the Astounding Automatrons/Back to the Past of Future Balls (2017) (segment "The Bewildering Bout of the Astounding Automatrons") - The Pirates, the Parrot, the Puzzles and the Talking Boats (2017) (additional storyboards) | |
| Future-Worm! (TV series) | Storyboard Artist (1 episode) | - Devil on Bug's Shoulder/Assassin Parrot/The Never-Ending End of Time (2017) | |
| Bunyan and Babe | Storyboard Artist | ||
| 2016 | Future-Worm! (TV Series) | Storyboard Artist (4 episodes) | Future-Worm and the 54 Days of Snordfest (2016) (storyboard artist)
- The Time Travelers Council/Future Danny and the Scourge of the Plierates/Bug's Very Important Job (2016) (storyboard artist - segment "The Time Travelers Council") - Steak Starmom/Lemonade's Last Stand/This Week in Future Science 1 (2016) (storyboard artist - segment "Steak Starmom") - Revenge of the Anchovy Monster/Food Goggles/Steak Starbolt Spooktacular (2016) |
| 2015 | Fresh Beat Band of Spies (TV Series Short) | Model Designer (1 episode) | - The Wow Factor (2015) |
Director
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
| 2001 | Timmy’s Lessons in Nature (Short) | Co-Director |
Writer
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
| 2001 | Timmy’s Lesson’s in Nature (Short) |
Visual Effects
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
| 2021 | The Blob Blob Fish: A Journey Through Obesity (Documentary) | Animation |
Additional Crew
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
| 1992 | Off His Rockers | Intern |
Self
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
| 2020 | Stay ‘Tooned! LIVE’ (TV Series) | Self | - Episode 1: Disney Animator Travis Blaise (2020) |
| 2010 | Indie Cinema Showcase | Self | - Animation self-Guest |
Name of your employer with whom you work fo: SketchtoAnimate
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- ^ www.bizjournals.com https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2005/01/17/daily1.html. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Twitter; Email; Facebook (2012-09-07). "Digital Domain closes Florida studio, CEO resigns". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Travis Blaise". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "Home". Sketch To Animate. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ "Travis Blaise". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-10-05.