VanArts Animation Grad Works on Disney Films

Since studying at Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, VaRahul Dabholkar’s career has taken off.

He graduated from their 3D Animation program in 1999 and has since worked with mega-studios like Sony Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore and many others.

“When 3D computer animation began growing due to successful films like Jurassic Park and Bugs Life, I decided then that I wanted to work for these amazingly talented studios,” said Dabholkar during a recent interview with www.cgcoach.com.

“The obvious choice was to take my 2-dimensional drawing knowledge and translate it to the 3-dimensional computer world. I chose VanArts, and got my first gig even before I graduated, which helped me boost my confidence.”

Dabholkar’s resume soon exploded with work on major animated and live action movies such as The Smurfs, Arthur Christmas, Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

After a decade in the industry, he’s also more than happy to share some advice for soon-to-be animation grads.

“If you are applying as an animator I would highly recommend the students to keep your reel strictly focused on animation,” said Dabholkar.

“You don’t even need to have fancy lighting or renders. Make sure the animation is strong displaying all the principles and the audience can read the characters’ thought process.”

His career has also seen him work for Framestore Animation (London), Industrial Light & Magic (San Francisco), Rainmaker (Vancouver), DKP/Starz/IDT (Toronto), Bardel (Vancouver), Animation for Walt Disney, EA (Vancouver), Mainframe and Sirius Animation (Vancouver).