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Disney Animator Comes Home To Share Her Love For Animation

By JuWan Graham, CBW 62/CW50 Intern

Birmingham (CBS Detroit) - The movie industry is a multi-billion dollar business and it's steadily growing. With new and fascinating technologies such as CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) and different softwares that make films more extravagant, there needs to be people working on the technical side crafting and using those softwares to make beautiful movies. Enter Disney animator Amy Smeed.

Smeed is from Royal Oak and has made her way to Burbank, CA working on movies such as Chicken Little, Frozen, and Wreck It Ralph. To make it in her industry, however, wasn't an easy road.

"Never give up," says Smeed referring to advice for someone wanting to become an animator. "Be very persistent…have an open mind and accept criticism." She also stresses the importance of giving back, alluding to the fact that there aren't many women in the industry.

She also talks about how much goes into the process of making animated movies, noting that it takes 24 frames to produce 1 second of animation. Her favorite part about the animation process is thinking and figuring out the character for the movie.

Catch Smeed's latest work, Moana, in theatres on November 23.  Learn more about Smeed in the Eye on Detroit feature created by  CBS 62/CW50 Chief Videographer, Paul Pytlowany.

You can follow her on Twitter @amy_smeed.

JuWan Graham is an aspiring public relations practitioner with a passion for writing and sports, and currently interning at CBS62 and CW50.  He is a senior attending Eastern Michigan University, majoring in Public Relations while minoring in Marketing.

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