Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to become an animator?

Dimos Vrysellas:
I knew exactly what I was going to do by the age of 9. I don't know exactly how I knew it; I just felt it was what I was supposed to do. Inspiration came easy to me. I spent more time drawing than reading or doing actual homework for school and more time pretending to be cartoon characters than super-heroes or soldiers and all the typical little boy stuff. Don't get me wrong I still played with toy cars and such, it's just that Bugs Bunny (and other cartoon characters) were usually driving the cars I was playing with.

Also, I was always watching cartoons. I watched plenty of bad ones too. I always could tell which ones were bad but in all honesty I didn't care, I still watched them with as much excitement. I was always more into the Disney shorts and WB (Chuck Jones) Cartoons, but still loved Hanna-Barbara and other "limited" types of cartoons (Rocket Robin Hood anyone?). I just KNEW I was going to do this and set my educational path to suit my dreams.

Dimos Vrysellas:
Tough one. I've been pretty lucky with my "journey" and don't have many regrets. The ONLY thing that I can think of off the top of my head is that I wished I would have slowed down early on. I was so concerned with quantity in my early career that I overlooked quality quite a bit. As soon as the light in my head went off many years later, I realized that taking the time to properly LEARN to animate actually was the faster way to animate in the long run. This is something I try to teach the current students. Take it slow and make it simple now, so you can learn it and apply it properly. In the future this whole animation thing will come easier to you and you will get faster. Just take your time.

Dimos Vrysellas:
In high school I enrolled into a Co-Operative training program (like an internship of sorts). Basically I went to work at a studio for a semester. It was incredibly amazing to do this. I learned all about stop-mo animation as well as traditional animation. I built armatures for stop-mo characters, mixed clay colors, assisted with camera operations and learned about computer aided animation pipelines. Actually this studio was one of the first studios in the Toronto area to utilize computers in their pipeline. Not necessarily CG animation but computer programs that aided in traditional pipelines. Man! I learned a lot there. They kept me around on a part time/freelance basis for years afterwards. That was my "foot in the door" moment and I value those times dearly.

Dimos Vrysellas:
Well there are a few folks that really taught me quite a bit. I learned a lot from my friends and peers. By sharing knowledge and ideas and assisting one another over the years, they gave me some of the best learning experiences. However, the ONE animator that really helped me "learn" properly and made me understand more of this stuff was James Baxter. I can not justifiably express how much of an impact this super-awesome-talented man has had on my career. He is not only the BEST animator ever but he is a great teacher. I really am grateful to have learned from him. Thank you JAMES!!!

Dimos Vrysellas:
Well this one is definitely not an easy answer. I don't have ONE favorite because many of the characters I have worked on were important to me for various reasons. I had a lot of fun animating on Miguel in "The Road to El Dorado." It was my second feature and the first time I was an animator by title. Previous to "El Dorado" I worked on "The Prince of Egypt" as a floater (which basically means I worked on various teams and characters) and my title was Animating Assistant. I still animated but at a really junior level working on a lot of background characters and miscellaneous shots. I think the most important character in my career was and still is Spirit. This production, by far taught me most of what I needed to know about animation and was the turning point in my career. It made a world of difference. It also helped that my supervisors and team were all great folks to work with and learn from. Afterwards I worked on Sinbad and this film re-affirmed my confidence that I learned a lot on the previous film. I did double duty on this film as a traditional and CG animator splitting my time about 50-50 between the two departments. I still had lots to learn but at this time in my career I was confident that I would be alright. The MOST fun working on a film was "Shark Tale." That was a blast. I loved working on Oscar and Angie. Very, very fun. I worked and still am working on other projects but I am always learning lots as things go on. I love this animation thing.

Dimos Vrysellas:
It's the best thing since sliced bread!!! And anyone who knows me knows I love bread, so that comment should not be taken lightly! I started in January 2006 and haven't looked back. I really love the school and the community of Mentors, students and all associated folks. It is a great experience and it helps me to keep learning as well. I love every moment of it.

Dimos Vrysellas:
I love most of the tools here (if not all). My favorite though is the Q&A tool. Since many of us live and work in different parts of the world and we can't all be together in one room, this is definitely the next best thing. It's like a virtual studio/classroom. I really enjoy meeting and talking to the students and discussing animation with folks with a passion for this thing we all love. It is a great tool!