I have one last Smurfs-related post. This one's for the movie's esteemed (and sometimes STEAMing) director, Kelly Asbury. Making an animated film isn't easy, especially when you're dealing with a several-decades-old property that's beloved the world over (and comes with a set of very specific rules), the company you're making it for has a huge change in upper management, the outside producer has already made two much-maligned films in the franchise and has long-held ideas of what this movie should be, and you're dealing with personal health issues on top of it all. In spite of all this, Kelly always took great effort to help guide and mentor me, to really push me to my limits and help me grow and learn. Those who follow my blog know that Kelly and I actually had a brief but inspiring encounter at SIGGRAPH years ago, after the release of Shrek 2. The synchronicity that my first gig in animation would be by Kelly's hand is uncanny. I'm very thankful for the two and a half years I got to work with him (and the rest of the all-star team), and I hope to add to that number along the road ahead. To me, he is a giant among Smurfs.
