Celebrated character designer and illustrator Bobby Chiu and event organizer and filmmaker Jim Demonakos have created an event unlike any other with LightBox Expo, a three day celebration of the visual arts held in Pasadena, California. LightBox Expo celebrates the artists and creators behind acclaimed films, animation, games, TV shows, comics and illustrations and this year’s event features an impressive range of artists, including Marvel Studios character designers Chelsea Li and Adi Granov, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem director Jeff Rowe, best selling Nimona creator ND Stevenson, webcomic superstar LySandra Vuong (Covenant), Studio Ghibli painter Yoichi Nishikawa, and ILM senior art director Christian Alzmann (The Mandalorian, Rogue One). This year’s event will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center from Friday October 27th through Sunday October 29th. 

Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos created LightBox Expo as a way to unite the best artists in the animation, illustration, live action and gaming industries under one roof for the ultimate celebration of art. Highlights of this year’s event, include a series of high profile panels which will be held in the spacious Civic Auditorium of the Pasadena Convention Center: 

Hatching A Plan

Join Director Sam Fell and Aardman Animation Co-Founder Peter Lord, as they crack open a soufflé of scintillating secrets from behind the scenes of Aardman’s latest stop frame digital kitchen – Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Foxes strictly prohibited.

Guts, Glory, Transformation and HEART

Join Directors Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, and The Creator of the NYT Best Selling Graphic Novel, ND Stevenson as they present a special “Making Of” session that illustrates the process of bringing Nimona’s fearless journey from Graphic Novel to Screen. Uncover the challenges faced and the artistic triumphs achieved while breaking barriers in feature animation storytelling.

A Session with Character Design Legends

Step into the world of animation with character design legends Carter Goodrich, Peter de Seve, and Carlos Grangel, moderated by Renee di Cherri. These master artists have collectively influenced iconic animated films such as “Ratatouille,” “Finding Nemo,” “Ice Age,” “Despicable Me,” “Corpse Bride,” “Hotel Transylvania,” “Shrek,” “The Incredibles,” “Madagascar,” “The Prince of Egypt,” and a multitude more. Dive deep into the minds of those who’ve shaped the faces of animation, exploring their creative process, unique insights, and the journey of character design evolution. Don’t miss this chance to gain invaluable knowledge from the individuals who have defined character artistry in the animated film industry.

Creating the Spider-Verse

Hear from some of the incredible designers at Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks as they discuss their process in creating some of the most exciting worlds featured in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” This session will focus on the artistic and technological innovations of the production, presented by Patrick O’Keefe (Production Designer) and Mike Lasker (VFX Supervisor).

A Conversation with the Artists of Star Wars

Join us as we look at the creative journeys of Lucasfilm designers: Christian Alzmann, Brian Matyas, and Benjamin Last. Discover how they conceptualize their ideas, collaborate with fellow creatives, and approach design challenges. They will be sharing stories about the process of designing characters, droids, vehicles and more!

One of the show’s other highlights is The Concept Art Awards, an annual award ceremony designed to recognize and bring increased awareness of the role of concept artists throughout the world of movies, television, video games, and more. This year’s finalists include Kristafer Anka (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Debby Coleman & Maria Yi (Elemental), Nacho Molina (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Tyler Carter (Nimona), Dawn Carlos (Tales of the Jedi), Genevieve Tsai (Animaniacs), Meybis Ruiz Cruz (Entergalactic) and many more. The 2023 Concept Art Awards finalists can be viewed here: https://www.conceptartassociation.com/