2D Production Memo - July 2026

Written by Robin Burney, Animation Production Coordinator

We are in the midst of an exciting transition period here with FOREST and would love to share updates on this milestone!

From Boards to Animatic: The Moving Picture
The Story Department has officially wrapped after delivering the successful Cleans Storyboard Pitch. Now that the full script has been translated into polished, final storyboards, the Story Department is passing the baton to the Editorial Department. This marks the end of the storyboard phase of pre-production, and the first next steps: animatics!

Editorial has begun to take the final clean boards and edit them into an animatic, the first look at a film with timing and sound. For the first time, the characters and world are moving on screen in the earliest versions of the film!

The Story Department: Celebrating the Finish Line
As a part of the Immersive Lab, this 2D Production Program emulates industry-standard production to empower Asian professionals to succeed in the professional animation industry. In that mission, our team of board artists were tasked with delivering boards within 5 weeks, which is standard for the television industry – in other words, very quickly! In honor of celebrating the work the team has accomplished, we asked our Head of Story Grace Park to share her most valuable experience in the 2D Production Program that she will take with her moving forward. 

“It has been a great learning opportunity for me to receive direct feedback from directors and producers, who all brought different perspectives to the table, but are all ultimately trying to make the film better. I learned to stay flexible, adjusting the boards as we receive those notes, but also to hold my ground sometimes, if I am convinced that my ideas could make the film stronger. It's a delicate balance, and I will always remember to keep this as I move forward with my journey as a story artist!”

Cleans Board Pitch group photo with Story Department and FOREST crew.

Animation: On Your Marks, Get Set…!
This month, we have launched two talented Heads of Animation Joanna Jiang and Lara Pascal, as well as our skilled Compositing Lead Eric Wolford. In the interim of pre-production wrapping up and animation gearing up, our leads are busy fleshing out the pipeline with early animation tests. This is an important problem-solving phase of the pipeline where the team ensures the designs, software, and crew are ready for animation. This involves experimental walk (or flying) cycles, which gives the added bonus of finally seeing our characters moving on screen for the first time!

Gearing up for animation also involves our Animation and Compositing Leads working closely with the Design Department to tweak characters and props. One benefit of animation tests is discovering new ways to streamline designs for the animation pipeline. Though pre-production is wrapping, the Design artists still have plenty of work to look forward to!

Layout by Ivory Bi, paint by Michelle Wirono. 

What’s Next
The FOREST crew is welcoming a large team of animators this July, and very soon, animation will be in full swing. This new phase of production includes experimenting with composers and soundtrack, as well as planning for the post-production stage in the future. We are excited to share more soon!

Art Board by Ashley Lam