Pixelatl Adds New Speakers: Steve Ahn, Deanna Marsigliese, Rami Ismail, Kat Morris, Amanda Rynda Join Lineup (Exclusive)

Pixelatl is not a secret anymore. It’s the must-attend animation event in Mexico, and does an amazing job of bringing together and fostering connections between Mexican artists and industry pros from around the globe.

Each year, Pixelatl invite top talents from around the global animation industry, and they’ve nearly finalized their international guest line-up for the upcoming edition next month in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The festival today revealed a new group of guests, who are being announced here for the first time. They are:

• Kat Morris, supervising director and writer of Steven Universe (her SVA graduation film premiered on Cartoon Brew ten years ago)
• Steve Ahn, Voltron director and creator of Blossom Detective Holmes
• Deanna Marsigliese, character art director at Pixar Animation
• Amanda Rynda, The Loud House art director at Nickelodeon
• Rami Ismail, co-founder of indie game developer Vlambeer
• Hilary Florido, writer for Steven Universe and Regular Show

These new guests join an already impressive group of previously announced guest speakers, as well as programming highlights, among them:

• Coco director Lee Unkrich will present a masterclass about the making of his Pixar film.
• Isle of Dogs production designer Paul Harrod and graphic designer Erica Dorn will present on the making of the Wes Anderson film.
• Previously announced guests include Jason Hand (Disney story artist, Ralph Breaks the Internet), John Aoshima (original head of story, Kubo and the Two Strings; director, Gravity Falls, Ducktales, American Dad), Erica Henderson (two-time Eisner Award winner of Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) Thomas Romain (French animation creator based in Tokyo), Ian Gooding (Disney production designer, Moana; art director, Princess and the Frog), Pato Escala (executive producer, Oscar-winning short Bear Story), Tyson Hesse (director of Sonic Mania Adventures), and Mark Mullery (Cartoon Saloon technical director and co-director on the studio’s next film).
• This year’s Ideatoon pitch program will be mentored by and judged by executives and decision-makers from Warner Bros. Animation, Netflix, Disney Worldwide, Cartoon Network, Dreamworks TV, PBS, Amazon Studios, Bento Box, Reel FX, and Mattel Creations. The participants will also participate in Pixelatl’s animation business summit.
• Three IPs pitched at Pixelatl in previous years and picked up by Cartoon Network Latam, will talk about how they are producing their projects: Viking Tales by Ivanobich Verduzco, Toontorial by Axur Eneas, and Villainous by Alan Ituriel.
• Carlos Baena will present the Mexican premiere of his short La Noria and Joanna Priestley will present the Mexican premiere of her animated feature North of Blue.
• The contest “Girl Power: Pitch Me the Future,” sponsored by Cartoon Network Latam and Pixelatl, to encourage new female creators and voices in the Latin American industry, received over 250 submissions for its first year. The winners will be announced at Pixelatl.
• The conference will host delegations from from Canada, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Colombia.

To learn more about how to attend this year’s edition of Pixelatl, visit the event’s website.