TURIN, ITALY — Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, the directors of Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, will present a keynote address at this year’s gathering of computer graphics luminaries, students, and professionals during VIEW Conference 2013. They join keynote speaker John Knoll, Industrial Light & Magic’s chief creative officer, on the roster during the October 15 to 18 conference in Turin, Italy.
"I can't wait to see the keynote presentation by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn," says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. "I know they will be inspirational, entertaining, and fun. And, I'm excited they can give our Italian attendees a sneak peak of this new animated feature."
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 builds on the delicious success of the 2009 hit comedy
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, also from Sony Pictures Animation (SPA)
. The animated comedy releases September 27 in the U.S. and December 25 in Italy. In Italy it will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Italia.
Prior to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, director Cody Cameron helmed Sony Pictures Animation's direct-to-video
Open Season 3 and the short film
The Chubbchubbs Save Xmas. His story artist credits include the original
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,
Surf's Up, Shrek, Shrek 2, and
Madagascar. Cameron also occasionally provides voices during his spare time such as Pinocchio and the Three Pigs in the
Shrek series
, or Mr. Weenie in
Open Season.
Director Kris Pearn served as head of story on the original Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. He was also a storyboard artist on various Sony Pictures Animation projects including
The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Arthur Christmas, Surf's Up, and
Open Season. He received Annie Award nominations for his work as a storyboard artist in 2007 for
Open Season, and in 2012 for
Arthur Christmas.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 picks up where Sony Pictures Animation's mouth-watering comedy left off. Inventor Flint Lockwood thought he saved the world when he destroyed his most infamous invention -- a machine that turned water into food causing cheeseburger rain and spaghetti tornadoes. But Flint soon learns that his invention survived and is now creating food-animals - "foodimals!" Flint and his friends embark on a dangerously delicious mission to battle hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, hippotatomuses, cheespiders and other foodimals to save the world - again!
"One of the amazing things about the Cloudy films is how the artists make the CG food look so appealing," Gutierrez says. "I know our attendees are hungry to know more about the whole creative process."
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is Sony Pictures Animation's ninth animated feature film. The studio's features have received numerous Oscar, Golden Globe, Annie, and Visual Effects Society nominations.
The VIEW Conference is Italy's largest computer graphics conference. Now in its 14th year, the international symposium brings together directors, visual effects supervisors, animators, graphic designers, sound designers, architects, game developers and other artists to inspire, teach, and engage students and professionals from around the world who attend the presentations and practical workshops.