Celebrating the creative existence of animation

Yeah Haus is working on a reboot of a beloved 2000′s show

This weekend, animator Amy Smeed will be celebrating the release of her latest film, Raya and the Last Dragon. The film is the latest in a long line for the Royal Oak native, who has already worked on projects like Moana, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, and Tangled. After leaving school, Smeed hoped to strengthen her demo reel enough to give her a head start in the industry. AdSmeed said that despite the difficulty of working from home, the studio worked closely with all the different departments to make the film. Character designers, modeling departments, and rigging departments all worked together to get movement controls ready for production.

The first film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is one that Russell says is sure to secure plenty of nominations this awards season. In the movie, Viola Davis plays Ma Rainey, a real blues singer from the turn of the 20th century. The late Chadwick Boseman stars alongside Davis as a strong-willed member of her band. Davis talked about how playwright August Wilson would often play with the idea of two characters representing the material and spiritual world, and how it’s always the spiritual world that wins out. For Russell’s full reviews and more on where you can watch these films, watch the video above.