SVA has a new Academy Award nominee among its ranks. This morning the 2018 Oscar nominations were announced and Carlos Saldanha (MFA 1993 Computer Art) and his animated film, Ferdinand, were nominated in the Animated Feature Film category. An adaptation of the beloved and classic children’s book The Story of Ferdinand, the Blue Sky Studios-produced 3D film tells the tale of a pacifist bull who refuses to participate in local bullfights but is forced to face off against a world champion matador. Saldanha’s well-loved cartoon has been a big hit this past year and has grossed $235.9 million worldwide.

His previous directorial efforts include Ice Age and several installments of the popular animated franchise, Rio and its two subsequent sequels, Gone Nutty and more.

“I love stories that have a good message and I love to be able to entertain the audience while at the same time creating an emotional thread that people also feel connected to,” Carlos told SVA last month. “Animals or non-animals, for me the bigger question was always: Is this good character, is this a good story to tell? That's where I went, and coincidentally most of those protagonists were animals. In animation you can make something come to life, you can make an animal talk, and it crosses the emotional boundaries of characters in storytelling. I don't know if it's coincidental, but I gravitate towards these stories.”

Academy Awards