Saturday, June 7, 2025

James Bridges Theater, Melnitz Hall, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

Student Hosts: Waverly Wang & Gina Whitney

Step into a world of imagination at the Animation Extravaganza!

This vibrant annual celebration brings together graduate and undergraduate animation students for a one-of-a-kind showcase of their completed films, Saturday, June 7th.

It’s a night where hard work meets creative brilliance—an opportunity for the students to share their hilarious, heartfelt, and awe-inspiring stories on the big screen. From mesmerizing 3D and hand-drawn works to inventive stop-motion and interactive pieces, these students have pushed the boundaries of the medium in every direction.

Join us as we honor the incredible talent emerging from the UCLA Animation Program at the School of Theater, Film & Television. Plus, don’t miss the presentation of the Crystal Anvil Award, given each year by the students to a trailblazing figure whose work has made a lasting impact on the field of animation.

Come for the films—stay for the magic!

Program 1 |Down the Rabbit Hole | 6:00pm

An eclectic mix of non-MFA films completed in the Animation Program course 181C and the stop-motion class

Program 2 | Through the Looking Glass | 7:00pm

Crystal Anvil Award Honoree, Student Awards and films from the individual voices of the MFA Animation Program: stop motion, 2D and 3D CG animation

Student Winners:

BEST STORY – Sophia Kawaguchi, RAIN CHECK

BEST ANIMATION – Cindy Cheng, TAROT

BEST ART DIRECTION – Jessica Song, HOUSE, MAGIC AND A TEAPOUT

MOST INNOVATIVE – Adrianna Grayson, BALLERINA

BEST OF SHOW – Athena Greenleaf, MY FRIEND THE DANDELION

Crystal Anvil Award Honoree: Russ Edmonds

Russ Edmonds is a professional animator turned professional storyteller. He is presently working as a story artist but is well recognized for his work as a supervising character animator on many of the Disney classic films. His career spans over three decades and has touched over 25 feature films including Oliver and Company, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Atlantis, Winnie the Pooh, The Princess and the Frog, Wonder Park, and The Garfield Movie. He has also owned and operated his own animation studio, Edmonds Studios, where he directed commercials and collaborated with other studios on various smaller projects. He has instructed animation at some of the leading film schools, such as CalArts and UCLA, passing on his knowledge and the knowledge from Disney’s Nine Old Men.

Russ is focusing his energy on pre-production. He has recently worked on storyboarding, character design, visual development, and story development for numerous studios, including Warner Bros. Animation, Paramount Animation, Alcon Entertainment, Kool Produktions, Nickelodeon, and Skydance Animation.

He graduated from California Institute of the Arts with a BA in Fine Arts for Character Animation and from Penn State University with an Associate’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

You can find Russ on any of these platforms:

PATREON https://www.patreon.com/RussEdmondsAnimation

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@RussEdmondsAnimation

INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/russ.edmonds

LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/russedmondsprofile

PROGRAM I: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Artificial Assistant by Ava Alexander – 1m 19s

In Dog Years by Zoe Matthewson – 1m 42s

Welcome by Connie Lin – 30s

Gerbil.exe by Xiang (Koko) Li – 50s

Women Who Live in Telephone Lines by Zoe Matthewson – 16s

Walking July by Connie Lin – 1m 30s

Sole Mates by Sahil Gabrani – 3m 37s

Star Man Sips The Juice by Mar Kourouma – 46s

Welcome to Our Socks Shop! by Kaesong Yang – 5m 30s

PROGRAM II: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Perfume by April Du – 4m 55s

The Specks by Athena Greenleaf – 3m15s

The Adventures of Captain Cosmos by Simon Henandez – 3m 38s

You, Your Mother, & Another by Nova Guiterrez – 1m

Pierced by Katelynn Perez – 2m 42s

Rain Check by Sophia Kawaguchi – 3m 45s

The Tale of Cowboy Cat by Van Hofmaister – 1m 35s

Soldiers of Bravo: CG by Hatt Haro – 4m

Mojave by Maximillian Uriate – 1m 50s

HYPNAGOGIA by Niall Murphy – 4m 20s

Rewind by Louise Liu – 3m 17s

Sniff by Jungsu Lim – 2m

Houses Magic and a Teapot by Jessica Song – 5m 25s

Shoot Your Shot by Waverly Wang – 2m 48s

Mismatch by Luna Lee – 2m 37s

Treasure Cultivation Guide by Elaine Lu Qu – 2m 03s

Careless by Grace Capooth – 4m 11s

Gloomwrath by Gina Whitney – 2m 25s

Promenade by Marcella Frisina – 6m 10s

Chrysalis Day by Abigail Alonso – 7m 03s

Between Beginnings by Zora Xu – 3m

Sherwani by Divyesh Sangani – 4m 11s

Friendies by Mayyi Mahama – 2m 30s

Penelope the Pi-rat by Kaya Glasner 2m 04s

Ballerina by Adrianna Grayson – 2m

Offspring by Hannah Mutz – 2m 25s

Tarot by Yuxin Cheng – 3m 20s