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Chris “Gonzo” Gonzalez
Animator for DreamWorks Animation
Christopher "Gonzo" Gonzalez is a professional animator currently working at DreamWorks Animation. He began his career in 2017 and has since contributed to various high-profile animated films. Before joining DreamWorks, he worked as an associate animator in the video game industry at Infinity Ward, where he was involved in projects such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. He also worked on Hogwarts Legacy for Warner Bros. Games.
At DreamWorks, Gonzo has been part of the animation teams for several notable films including The Boss Baby Family Business, The Bad Guys, and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. He is recognized not only for his animation skills but also for his role as a mentor, teaching students the fundamentals of character animation through Animation Mentor, where he emphasizes clear communication and supportive feedback.123
In addition to his work in animation, Gonzo is credited with upcoming projects such as The Bad Guys 2, where he serves as the head of character animation.2 His contributions to the field have made him a respected figure among peers and students alike.
Highlights
(Long but special read ahead) Call back to the first!!!! As a huge fan of the franchise I was pretty excited when I found out Zhen would be training with The Furious Five in the credits! And even more hyped when I got casted Monkey! Not only since I grew up on Jackie Chan Movies. But I knew we were doing a call back to when he was first swinging on chains in the first film. This one was tricky since I knew I wanted Monkeys tail to grab the ring. So I had to do a 2d pass at first with the tail and limbs. Which luckily I had great guidance from my awesome sequence Supe Hans Dastrup . Lastly this one felt extra special since it’s this full circule moment in the franchise series where Po originally was a student and now he is a teacher. Which I feeI I can “sort” of relate to in life since the Head of animation was the one and only Sean Sexton Who is someone I haven’t shouted out as much, but I definitely owe more than I can imagine to much of my growth and success in this industry. Especially at DreamWorks. He was there when I was an eager and anxious student. Teaching me how to push my craft, and now I am happy to call him not only a co worker at DreamWorks and Animation Mentor where we both teach together. But also an amazing friend. Thank you for everything. And look forward to the next one together. #kingfupanda #dreamworksanimation #animation
This was by far one of the most challenging chunk of fighting shots I got on Kung Fu Panda 4. Not only since the first shot was very long and all over the place. But we actually had a lot to figure out with Zhen as a fighter. Originally, our 2d fight animation choreographer, Philippe Le Brun, had did some awesome kung fu ideas with her. But one of the big notes that came from our co director Stephanie Ma Stine was that Zhen shouldn’t be a master of kung fu yet. But more learn from Po throughout the film. So one of the first ideas I changed was how Zhen kicked the bowl of chili’s into the wolf’s face. Originally it was this awesome spin kick (sorry I don’t know the actual name) but when I blocked it in, I went with a more Jackie Chan approach, where Zhen actually almost fails, then uses her environment to win the battle. Big shout out to Michael Amos for giving be the note to have the bowl flip in the air to add some extra flair to the movement. And also another shout out to my sequence supe Antony Gray for all the awesome guidance on this chunk and I of course want to thank our head of animation the great, one and only Sean Sexton for all the amazing guidance not only on this giant chunk but also trusting me with all the crazy fighting I got on this show. One last fun fact. I LOVE Chinese food and originally drew the bowl filled with chili oil. But the production designer thought it would look a bit too close to blood so they went with chili flakes. Either way the wolf gets chili in the eyes and I got to laugh :) #animation #dreamworksanimation
