TAAFI: Eric Goldberg, Michel Gagné, Michael Rianda Confirmed As Guests
The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) has locked down guest speakers for its next edition, taking place at George Brown College’s Waterfront campus from April 22-24.
The festival, now in its fifth edition, will welcome a variety of industry guests to Toronto this spring, including:
- Animator Eric Goldberg (Genie in Aladdin, Pocahontas co-director)
- Independent filmmaker/studio owner Marv Newland (Bambi Meets Godzilla)
- Producer/director Audu Paden (Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain)
- Gravity Falls creative director Michael Rianda
- Voice actress Stevie Vallance
- Special effects animator Michel Gagné (The Iron Giant)
In addition, the festival has invited three legendary American animation figures who were an integral part of Hanna-Barbera during its Golden Age: Willie Ito, Jerry Eisenberg, and Tony Benedict. These guys all have great stories and getting them together on stage should be a lot of fun.
As part of the festival, TAAFI will also host over 30 studios and artists for its professional development fair, the Animation Arts Maarket (April 23-24), as well as Toronto’s largest animation industry networking event at Corus Quay, the Nelvana Bouncing Ball (April 23). To keep up with festival announcements and ticket details, visit TAAFI.com.
This year’s festival poster was designed by Nneka Myers. A short video about the poster can be seen below:
