2026 Animation Celebration
Join the Department of Radio-Television-Film for the third annual Animation Celebration! Guest speakers from industry join faculty of practice and study in a thoughtful conversation on the art, business and science of animation. Events include lectures, panels, an exhibition of student work and an evening screening (with commentary) on selected animated shorts (the Cartoon Cavalcade). All sessions take place in CMB Studio 6B. Food and refreshments provided.
Schedule
Tuesday, March 24
11 a.m. | Exhibition of Student Work Opens (ongoing throughout the day)
12:30 p.m. | Opening Remarks and Pizza Lunch
1-2 p.m. | A Craft Conversation with Mike Jones on Real-World Inspiration and Process
Writer, Producer: Pixar's "Soul," "Luca," & "Elio"
2-5 p.m. | Cartoon Cavalcade - a screening of selected animated shorts with commentary by faculty and friends of RTF
5-6:30 p.m. | A Conversation on the Animation Industry and Creative Trusts with Mike Jones and Kelly Younger
Writer-Producers with experience with Pixar and Disney. Mike and Kelly will talk about the current state of the animation industry, breaking into writing for animation, and working in the Pixar Brain Trust, the Disney Animation Story Trust, and Skydance Animation Story Trust.
7 p.m. | Screening of Student Choice Animated Feature
Wednesday, March 25
2-5 p.m. | Crafting Your Origin Story for Meetings and Pitches, a workshop by Kelly Younger
Writer, Producer: "The Muppet Show"
Speakers
Mike Jones
Mike Jones is a writer and director at Pixar Animation Studios. He co-wrote Pixar’s Academy Award©-winning feature film “Soul” (2020), as well as “Luca” (2021) and “Elio” (2025). Jones wrote, directed, and executive-produced Pixar’s original series “Dream Productions” (2024), inspired by the world of “Inside Out.” He has also served on the brain trusts of many Pixar films, including “Finding Dory,” “Incredibles 2,” and the Academy Award©-winning features “Inside Out,” “Coco,” and “Toy Story 4.”
As the series director, Jones oversaw all creative aspects of “Dream Productions” while also directing the series finale. In his capacity as the studio’s senior story and creative artist, Jones also works with other directors to develop their story in its early stages. After early development, Jones continues to work with the production departments as needed by writing sequences, consulting on storyboards, and advising on editorial assemblies.
Before joining Pixar, Jones was a working screenwriter for 20 years. He also served on the editorial staffs of Filmmaker Magazine, Indiewire, and Variety.
Jones grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He resides in Northern California.
Kelly Younger
Kelly Younger is a screenwriter, TV writer, playwright, story consultant, and Emmy-nominated producer. He is currently a writer on the new installment of "The Muppet Show," produced by Seth Rogen, directed by Alex Timbers, and starring Sabrina Carpenter. He wrote the Amazon feature film "Candy Cane Lane," starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross, directed by Reginald Hudlin, and produced by Imagine Entertainment. The film premiered in December 2023 and became the biggest Amazon MGM Studios-produced title of all time domestically.
Younger has an ongoing creative partnership with the Muppets Studio, whose work includes co‑creating and co-executive producing "Muppets Now" and co‑writing and co-producing the PGA Award-winning "Muppets Haunted Mansion." He wrote Kermit’s “Kermencement” address, highlighted by CNN and Google as one of the year’s standout cultural moments.
As a member of the Disney Animation Story Trust, he has contributed to Disney Animation titles such as "Ralph Breaks the Internet," "Frozen 2," "Moana," and "Raya and the Last Dragon," consulted on Disney and Pixar films, and is currently co‑writing a feature for Skydance Animation with directors Rich Moore (Zootopia) and Jim Reardon (WALL-E). Additional credits include a new Herbie script for a reboot of the Herbie film franchise for Disney Studios and producer Jason Reed (Mulan), and development work with Paramount, Warner Animation Group, DreamWorks, Illumination, Apple, Hulu, and Disney Originals.
His plays have been produced Off‑Broadway and internationally, with honors for "Kalamazoo," "Tender," and "Mandate." He also serves as a story consultant, a frequent speaker on story structure, and a member of STORY HOUSE, the production company led by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out 1 & 2) and Joe Forte (Firewall), where he regularly participates in and leads creative roundtables for Netflix Original Film.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Younger earned an MA in Classics from Loyola University Chicago and a PhD in Literature and Drama from University College Dublin. He is a tenured professor in the Department of English at Loyola Marymount University, where he teaches writing workshops and seminars on fairy tales.
