Academy Award ® nominated Animation Director has been working in the film industry for more than 25 years. Received Oscar nomination for Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Disney), along with nominations for BAFTA Award, Saturn Award and Critic’s Choice Award, and won the Golden Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects for his team’s work on the film.
Head of Animation on Sony Picture’s SURFS UP, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and recognized with two Annie Awards among its ten nominations and four Visual Effects Society (VES) award nominations.
Received VES award for Best Character Animation in STUART LITTLE 2 in 2003, and since that time has acquired multiple VES nominations for individual achievement.
ANIMATION DIRECTOR on AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 (2014) and co-supervised the reboot two years prior (Sony), CHRONICLES OF NARNIA (Disney), I AM LEGEND (Warner Bros.) and lead animator on STUART LITTLE 1 & 2, EVOLUTION, CAST AWAY, GODZILLA, PATCH ADAMS and more...
Co-writer of SPIRITS OF THE WESTERN WILD animated feature pitch, and directed audio drama on Audible.com
Developed STORY COMPASS ® smartphone app for screenwriters.
Hi, I'm David Schaub. I've spent my career jumping headfirst into the unknown and finding the most creative path out of the jungle. I’m usually hired as an Animation Director or Animation Supervisor, but I often work as an Animator as well because that's why I got into this business, and I still LOVE it! As a result, I am one of the most hands-on animation directors you will find. Crews are happy because I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and join the ranks during the tough times, and studios love it because I am able to define the animation style, tone and expectations with directors before bringing on the larger team.
I am known for championing world-class animation on high profile feature films for both Visual Effects AND Feature Animation (two entirely different disciplines); having received awards and nominations in both categories. While I have successfully tackled a cross-section of styles, my passion is in creating believable, heartfelt performances. Either way, I have proven time and again to be incredibly adaptable to the needs of production, whatever those needs might be. And if things ever get slow, I have a backlog of other projects in development.
I thrive in challenging situations, managing large, multi-disciplinary teams and partners under pressure, and meeting or exceeding schedule and budgetary expectations. I’m comfortable managing uncertainty, sheltering artists from the slings and arrows of production while coaching, mentoring, and bringing out the best the team has to offer.
Head of Animation | Animation Director (2022 - present)
Recruited to elevate CoSA's character/creature animation to the next level.
Collaborating with creative leads to deliver the highest quality visual effects for film & television.
Supervising animation on: Resident Alien (Syfy) | Westworld (HBO) | CSI: Vegas (CBS) | Gotham Knights (CW) & more.
Animation Director
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Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
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Alice in Wonderland (2010)
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I Am Legend (2007)
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The Chronicles of Narnia (2005)
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The Polar Express (2004)
(animals & keyframed characters)
Oversaw creative workflow from character look-development, modeling, rigging, animation and editorial through post-production. Worked closely with directors, producers, visual development department, editorial, marketing and studio management.
Supervised teams exceeding 100 animators locally and remote to bring client's vision to life.
Head of Animation
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Surf's Up (2007)
Responsible for developing/defining the animation style with directors, then maintained consistency of that style among animators of varied backgrounds and artistic sensibilities. Supervised and mentored the work of 60+ animators and assistants to assure the successful execution of the creative vision for the Oscar-nominated film.
Supervising Animator
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Stuart Little 2 (2001)
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Castaway (2000)
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The Astronaut's Wife (1998)
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Patch Adams (1998)
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The Craft (1996)
Animator
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Evolution (2000)
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Hollowman (1999)
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Stuart Little (1999)
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Godzilla (1996)
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Anaconda (1995)
Honors and Awards
Nomination - Academy Award for Best Visual Effects "Alice in Wonderland"
Feb 2010 - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Nomination - BAFTA Achievement in Visual Effects "Alice in Wonderland"
Feb 2010 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Nomination - Critics' Choice Award "Alice in Wonderland"
Feb 2010 - Broadcast Film Critics Association
Nomination - Gold Derby Award - Visual Effects "Alice in Wonderland"
Feb 2010 - Gold Derby Awards
Nomination - Best Visual Effects in an Effects Driven Motion Picture
Feb 2010 - Visual Effects Society
WON - Golden Satellite Award "Alice in Wonderland"
Mar 2010 - International Press Academy
WON - VES Best Character Animation in an Animated Motion Picture "Stuart Little 2"
Feb 2002 - Visual Effects Society
Nomination - VES Outstanding Virtual Cinematography "The Amazing Spiderman"
Feb 2012 - Visual Effects Society
Nomination - VES Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character in a Live Action Feature "I Am Legend"
Feb 2007 - Visual Effects Society
Nomination - VES Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character an Animated Feature "Polar Express"
Characters: “Smokey and Steamer”
(The two non-motion-captured characters in the film).
Feb 2005 - Visual Effects Society
Nomination - VES Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character an Animated Feature "Surf's Up"
Character: “Cody Maverick”
Feb 2007 - Visual Effects Society
Nomination - VES Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character an Animated Feature "Surf's Up"
Character: “Chicken Joe”
Feb 2007 - Visual Effects Society
reels
"Flying Elephant"
This is an unsolicited animation pitch that I did for Tim Burton in 2016, before a production design for this character existed (that I know of). It is NOT Dumbo. It's just a baby elephant with REALLY big ears to explore how an elephant might fly. This test was not funded or sanctioned by Disney, so I'm able to post it here as an example of a personal animation pitch for the director.
Vertical Launch:
Running Launch (loop):
The Virtual Reality Company (2022)
Animation Director
MonsterVerse - VR demo
New Video
VR demo: Split-screen is used in this video to help envision the 360° grand-scale periphery experienced in VR.
David Schaub - Animation & Environment builds
Kevin Freeman - Character builds & rigging (Kong hair pending)
I produced this demo as a proof-of-concept for Legendary Picture's
GODZILLA vs. KONG motion-base ride in VR.
The final rollout by VRC will be a 10-minute location-based experience (LBE) similar to the Jurassic installment with a branching narrative.
Jurassic World VR Expedition ™
WINNER
WINNER
Cinequest VR Awards, 2019
Upload VR Awards, 2018
Joined creative team at VRC as Animation Director to develop cinematic motion-base VR ride for Universal's Jurassic World ™ property.
Brought a new level of visual quality to the VR space with a team of award-winning film veterans for a fully immersive cinematic experience.
“It was the best VR experience we’ve had in the four years of covering the space.” - Gene Munster, VR Industry Analyst | Loup Ventures
Animation Director Reels
These are my narrated reels that feature a "behind-the-scenes" look at character builds, animation and virtual cinematography for a few different kinds of films that I've supervised.
Alice in Wonderland - Character Builds (narrated reel)
Talking Animals - samples from animation team
- Chronicles of Narnia: Beavers & Wolves - (00:00)
- Alice in Wonderland: Bloodhound - (02:35)
- Stuart Little 2: Bird characters - (04:23)
Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Anim. & VFX (narrated reel)
I Am Legend - Infected Animals - from animation team
- Infected dogs - (0:00)
- Deer (and lion) - (1:08)
- Lab Rats - (2:26)
SURF'S UP: Screen Tests
This video features the screen test that I animated early in production to help define style for the film and set the tone for the work that followed. I also included a few other shots here that I personally animated over the course of production:
Narrated "Behind-the-scenes" look at character builds and animation from the animation and VFX teams:
Cody Maverick - Character Build
The Geek - Character Build
Many more SHOWREELS, BEHIND-THE-SCENES and DEVELOPMENT TESTS available.
Training
Here is a sampling of classes I teach as new crews are pulled together on various productions. Training needs vary from show-to-show, but these are a few that I tend to repeat time and again… with more material and classes added as needs arise. Definitely the best method for getting everyone on the same page!
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Physics for Animators - (Three sessions)
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The Art and Science of Animating Expressive Eyes
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Lip Sync - A bulletproof method for getting it right.
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Lessons Learned in Anim. and VFX - A retrospective.
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Animator’s Survival Guide - Getting in and staying in.
Taught, lectured and presented the team’s work in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and North America at industry conventions and conferences including FMX, VIEW and SIGGRAPH.
endorsements
I have known David for over two decades and watched him develop into one of the most unique Animation Directors working in the industry today. He is among one of the best that I have been privileged to work with during my career.
On a personal note, David has been an incredible collaborator with Bob Zemeckis and me.
He was consistently brought into our projects in a leadership role due to his passion for the art of animation, his ability to mentor new talent and his willingness to continue to explore and further the possibilities of animation as an art form.”
Ken Ralston is a five-time Academy Award-winning visual effects pioneer, and recipient of Visual Effects Society (VES) Lifetime Achievement Award for his enormous contributions to filmed entertainment. He received best visual effects Oscars for Forrest Gump, Death Becomes Her, Back to the Future Part II, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Cocoon, and a Special Achievement Oscar for the visual effects in Return of the Jedi
I know David best from his being the Animation Director on “Surf’s Up.” Throughout the entire production, David’s passion was an inspiration to the whole crew. He was invaluable in the creation of the style of animation for the film – from the broad surfing action, down to the intimate acting involved in the interview scenes. David’s inventiveness and humor gave the film its very unique flavor. His deep understanding of character and movement has made him one of the premier Animation Directors in our medium today."
Chris Buck is the Academy Award and BAFTA-winning co-director of Disney’s Frozen, and winner of 2014 Annie Award for Best Director for that film. He is also known for co-directing Disney’s Frozen 2, Tarzan and Sony’s Surf’s Up, which was also nominated for an Oscar in 2008.
David and I began working together in early 2004 on “The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe.” He was the Animation Supervisor for Mr. & Mrs. Beaver, Mr. Tumnus, the Fox, lead wolves, Maugrim and Vardin and their wolf pack.
David’s team at Imageworks produced animation for approximately 550 shots and we received an Oscar nomination that year for the visual effects work in the film. David’s natural leadership in the world of animation and the thoughtful guidance he gives to his artists enables his team to work at the highest level of creativity. My trust in him and his animation instincts allow me to focus on finishing the film, knowing that his performances will always be on target; beautifully conceived and beautifully executed."
Andrew Adamson is known for directing the Academy Award-winning films Shrek and Shrek 2. He was also the director, executive producer, and scriptwriter for the 2005 production of The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the sequel The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian.
My relationship with David began back in 2000, the early days of Stuart Little 2 where I worked closely with him to develop two new characters in the film: specifically, Margalo and Falcon. David was a lead animator at the time and I could tell that he had unequivocal talent with a natural ability to bring heart, soul, passion, humor and depth to his characters.
I was very pleased with our collaboration and have watched his career take off over these last several years. His talents are extraordinary and allow him to shine with a passion for the art of animation as well as a love of helping others who are just beginning in this work."
Tony Bancroft was the co-director of Disney’s animated film Mulan and winner of 1998 Annie Award for Best Director for that film, and recently directed Netflix’s Animal Crackers. He is a veteran Disney animator (The Lion King, Aladdin, Emperor’s New Groove), author, teacher, and the co-host of the The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast.
