ESMA alumni at Disney: from dream to reality
News . 11 Aug. 2023
When they arrived at ESMA, the idea sounded like a joke. A few years later, some of them have made the leap from dream to reality, and are now working for this animation giant, which has given rise to vocations among a large number of image enthusiasts. Focus on these pearls of the animation and special effects world, straight from ESMA.
DIFFERENT PROFILES… FOR A METEORIC RISE
ESMA Nantes, ESMA Toulouse, ESMA Montpellier… Their ESMA is not always the same, and yet success is on the cards for Naïti, Elise, Kevan and François. Having graduated just a few years ago, they’re already following in the footsteps of the greats! Meet these 4 former students who have won over the most uncompromising recruiters, and are now working at Disney on the cutting edge of animation and special effects.
Naïti Escot: after proving her talent on her graduation film Mécanique – which was shortlisted for the Oscars – Naïti joined TAT Production as Environment Look Development Artist. Over the course of 4 years, she gained a wealth of experience, confidence and credibility. In 2022, she tried her luck on the other side of the Atlantic, joining the Quebec studio Cinesite, before landing a position in her specialty at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Vancouver!
Elise Carret: also a representative of the class of 2017, this time on the Nantes side, Elise Carret is chasing experience after experience like a fireball in a hurry to pulverize everything. Achoo, her graduation film, is just like her, and is also multiplying selections. In 2018, it was shortlisted for the “Oscars Nominated Short Films” alongside Mécanique. At the same time, Elise joined Supamonks, then Illumination Studios Paris – where she stayed for 3 years – and Dunk Films… This gave her the opportunity to work on some very big projects, including Le Grinch, Tous en scène 2, Les Minions 2 : il était une fois Gru, and Comme des bêtes 2. With her sights set ever higher, she has just signed on with Walt Disney Animation Vancouver as Main Character Animator.
Kevan Canavar: also from the class of 2017, Kevan graduated from ESMA Montpellier with his graduation film Chimères. After graduating, he moved to Paris, worked for a while at TeamTo, and then packed his bags for new lands – Montreal, Dublin, and then Vancouver since 2021, where he works as an FX Artist for prestigious studios (Sony Pictures Imageworks, Framestore, Method Studios…). Last May, he joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in Vancouver as FX Animator.
François Briantais: last but not least, François graduated from ESMA Nantes in 2019, the year in which he won 1st prize from the end-of-year jury with his film Œil pour Œil (the short film went on to enjoy a highly unusual career, including selection for the highly prestigious VES Awards 2020). On leaving school, he was recruited by Illumination Studios Paris, where for 3 years he rubbed shoulders with the big names in animation and established himself as a character animator on ambitious projects (The Super Mario Bros, Tous en scène 2). At the end of 2022, he applied for a position as animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Vancouver. Today, the young man is working on Moana, The Series, a sequel to Vaïana. Aware of his good fortune, François also recognizes the importance of everything he learned at ESMA: “Knowing how to work in a group and how to compromise, taking into account the project as a whole and not stopping at one’s own task, being rigorous about quality, reflecting on one’s choices and pushing them to the limit – these are just some of the things ESMA taught me”.
Congratulations to these 4 alumni, to whom we wish great success and many exciting projects!