[INTERVIEW] Pixar's Korean animator hopes to deliver message of compassion through her work

Pixar Animation Studios senior animator Kim Hye-sook poses with a Buzz Lightyear figurine, a character popularized through the Toy Story film franchise. She has been working at Pixar since 2021. Courtesy of Kim Hye-sook

'Animators breathe life into characters like Pinocchio's father, Geppetto'

By Lee Gyu-lee

Growing up in the small town of Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, located about 150 kilometers southeast of Seoul, Kim Hye-sook was just an ordinary girl from the country who loved drawing.

But when her teacher in middle school, after seeing her drawings, introduced her to possible professions in the animation industry, Kim began to imagine that drawing could become a career for her. About 25 years later, she came to work for one of the biggest animation studios, Pixar Animation Studios, as a senior animator, taking part in the production of the 2022 film "Buzz Lightyear."

"When I moved abroad (from Korea), I started to have more thoughts about empathy and understanding. The language and culture; the confusion and struggles that come from the new environment can lead people to empathize with each other, and to communicate to comfort one another," the animator said in a recent written interview with the Korea Times.

"People might feel like they are different from the rest of the group, but the moment when these individuals realize that others are just like them always resonates with me. I believe that a warm hug and strong support can create a healthy society. And I hope to continue to create animations that can deliver these messages to children."

Senior animator Kim Hye-sook in front of the Pixar Animation Studios in California / Courtesy of Kim Hye-sook

Kim started her career in Korea after studying animation at the Kaywon School of Art and Design. She found her passion as an animator while working on short films in school and took her first job at a local production studio, Toiion Animation Studios.

While working at the studio, she took on several TV animation projects like "Pororo the Little Penguin," and led two short films ― "Mung" (2003) and "Herstory" (2004) ― which were both invited to international festivals like the Interfilm Berlin International Short Film Festival.

"As I met these awesome artists from abroad at the international film festivals, I was inspired to excel at my job like them," she said.

And when she took part in making Disney's animation series "Sofia the First" under the studio, she saw a vision in pursuing her talent in the global industry.

"When we asked the director from Disney why he chose to work with us, he said they liked our work the best. And that was when I gained confidence as one of the animators who took part in the test project," she said.

A scene from Kim Hye-sook's short animated film, "Herstory" (2004) / Courtesy of Kim Hye-sook

Before Pixar, she had worked for another animation powerhouse, Sony Pictures Imageworks in Canada, for about six years, taking part in the creation a total of 10 films, including Academy Award-winning feature "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018) and director Glen Keane's "Over the Moon" (2020).

"I learned a lot through working with director Keane for over a year. And in the same year, our team had the honor to be nominated for the?Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature," she said.

Kim is currently working on Pixar's highly-anticipated upcoming animated feature, "Elemental," which is scheduled to debut this year.

Kim noted that animators have the ability to make characters come to life.

"Animators are people who breathe life into the characters like Pinocchio's father Geppetto. So I think it's very important to be keen to observe things," she said, adding she closely works with the directors to create the scenes and movements of the characters.

Senior animator Kim Hye-sook, center, poses with Oscar trophies for the film "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," in which she took part while working at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Courtesy of Kim Hye-sook

"I discuss the characters' emotional state and (the scene's) purpose with the director regarding the shots. So, I grasp the director's intention and the flow of the film to come up with the ideas … which are presented through 3D character movement, 2D drawing, or in videos of me acting in person. And when my ideas are confirmed, we create shots by arranging characters through a 3D program. At Pixar, all the animators, whether juniors or seniors, are involved in various stages of the work we do."

The animator said that since starting working overseas she was most shocked, in a good way, by the working environment which involved more communication than she experienced in Korean studios.

"What surprised me the most is the number of meetings and discussions. There were so many opportunities to communicate. So I was and still am continually surprised to see how actively people exchange ideas and understanding of the projects they are working on," she said.

"In Pixar, especially, these types of meetings are always open to everyone and they share their ideas in a horizontal environment. As everyone is on board with a single goal ― to make a good movie ― and passionately take part in 'brainstorming' meetings, I often learn and get inspired a lot by just participating in a meeting."

A scene from Pixar's upcoming animated film, "Elemental" / Courtesy of Pixar Animation Studios

Kim started out her career with the motto, "I may not live 100 years but my movies will last forever." But through her experiences, she said her biggest motivation nowadays is her co-workers.

"When I present my shot that I've worked hard on in the meeting and it gets accepted and praised by my colleagues, I feel really happy … and I feel very rewarded when I offer them my help with my opinions," she said.

The animator is living her dream, following the passion she found as a young girl. She said that she hopes to continue to find joy in her work.

"I hope I can continue to do what I can in this career with the same mind I had as a middle school girl, thinking 'this is fun, I want to do better,'" she said. "Between those who have never done what they wanted to do and those who did, I think there's a difference in the happiness they feel. I've had my doubts and questions and still make mistakes, but in that sense, I think I can already call myself a happy person."