Sheridan College alumnus nominated for Academy Award

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Published January 15, 2020 at 1:10 am

dean_deblois

Sheridan College alumnus, Dean DeBlois, has been nominated for an Academy Award for his work on How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. 

Sheridan College, which has a campus in Mississauga, offers a Bachelor of Animation program from which DeBlois graduated. 

DeBlois wrote, directed, and produced the third and final installment of the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, which was released in theatres in 2019. 

DeBlois has worked on many animated features, such as The Lion KingA Troll in Central Park and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and he served as story co-head on Disney’s Mulan, and co-wrote and co-directed Lilo & Stitch.

DeBlois has already won two Annie Awards and a Golden Globe, and his film How to Train Your Dragon 2 was also nominated for best animated feature film. 

“Dean Deblois’ characters are beloved by audiences around the world. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a showcase of mastery in animation and storytelling, and we are thrilled that such a heartfelt, poignant story has been nominated for an Academy Award,” Ronni Rosenberg, Dean of Sheridan’s Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design, said in a news release. 

“Our graduates become leaders in their field. We’re deeply proud of all our alumni who contributed to films that have received Oscar nominations this year,” she continued. 

Sheridan animation alumni have a long history of success at the Academy Awards, dating back to 1985 when John Minnis won best animated short film for Charade. Other alumni winners include Eric Armstrong, who won in the same category for The Chubbchubbs! In 2003, Chris Williams, who won for the feature Big Hero 6 in 2015, and Alan Barillaro, in 2017 for Piper. Last year, Domee Shi–the first female director of a Pixar short–took home the award for Best Animated Short for Bao.

Additionally, of the five films nominated for the best animated feature film category this year, four featured the work of Sheridan College alumni, including How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden WorldKlausMissing Link and Toy Story 4.

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