I am an artist and director, currently working at Pixar Animation Studios in the Bay Area of California. Originally from Virginia Beach, VA, I’ve known I wanted to work in animation since I was 8 years old. The Little Mermaid inspired me to obsessively practice drawing, sing every day and dream of being part of that world (*wink). I was either going to be a mermaid, or work in animation. I wrote the Disney company when I was 12 years old with my feature ideas and drawing, and all were promptly returned with a legal letter, BUT also with a nice packet on how to eventually get a job in animation! Which gave me the guidance to pursue art school.

I landed at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Va, from 1999-2003 earning my BFA in the Communication Arts & Design, Kinetic Imagery (animation and video.) From there I, worked like mad, and was ecstatic to receive the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship from the US Department of Education. I was off to California to attend graduate school at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, earning my MFA in Animation from the School of Cinematic Arts in 2007. While there I completed multiple films. Lolly’s Box (stop motion) premiered in Annecy and was one of the final seven films for the animation category of the Student Academy Awards in 2006. I then briefly worked on commercials and music videos for Partizan Entertainment.

I have been at Pixar Animation Studios as a full-time Story Artist, Story Supervisor and then Director, since January 2007 after being an intern in the first story internship program at Pixar in the summer of 2006. I have contributed as a Story Artist on Presto, Brave, Mater's Tall Tales, Partysaurus Rex, Small Fry, Inside Out, and The Good Dinosaur. I was a Story Supervisor and received Story By credit on Toy Story 4. Most recently I wrote and directed the short film Lamp Life for Disney + and Associate Executive Producer on Soul.

I’ve also had the unique opportunity to work with the theme parks division: Disney Imagineering. My drawings have been transposed into massive images on the side of the Art of Animation Hotels (Nemo & Cars) at Disney World in Florida! I also had the opportunity to work on the Ratatouille ride for Disneyland Paris.

Along with writing, drawing and brainstorming on animated films, I enjoy voice acting. You can catch me in some of those Pixar DVD deleted scenes as a scratch (temporary) voice for characters and most recently provided the voice for Ellie, in the Blender Studios animated short Sprite Fright.

My drawing activity book 100 Years of Fashion and Fun, is published by the General Pencil Company, and available for purchase on Amazon.

I am continually developing stories for animated features, tv series, children’s books and graphic novels.

You can follow me on INSTAGRAM: valerielapointe

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