- [2012, on recovering from a stroke] I could not have asked for the aftermath of a near-death experience to turn out better than it has.
- One bit of advice I really would want to give people is to put yourself out there and forge your own path! Don't be shy! Don't wait for somebody else to give you your big break - give yourself your big break! With so many ways to showcase your work yourself these days, there's nothing stopping you!
- I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to say you want to be the "next Walt Disney" or the "next Matt Groening". You have got to be you, and if people love what you do, great.
- A lot of people initially think I'm crazy when I say this, but having a stroke was actually one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Something like that always makes you appreciate later how lucky you are to have your health and be alive on this world that has so many wonderful things and places in it to be experienced.
- [on hand-drawn animation] It is a beautiful art form. You know when you are watching a hand-drawn cartoon there is a real person behind it. I think the characters take on that human soul in the process, while in computer generated films, to me the characters always behave a little like puppets.
- Enjoy yourself! Have fun! Most of my time as a filmmaker has been a blast, because I set out for it to be so! It really can be so enjoyable, and you only live once, so don't be too serious and remember that there are much less preferable jobs out there.
- Advice I would give to directors is to stay true to your vision without being controlling. Directors need to guide, not dictate. Actors, more often than not, need guidance. And it's much more pleasant and comfortable for everyone, either in the studio or on a live-action set, if the director is easy to work with and down-to-earth.
- I like to be extremely involved in the casting for my films to make sure the character will be as close to my vision as possible. I always advise selecting voices with an uncommon quality to them, so that you can get a unique interpretation of your character that is both fresh and fitting. But the voice must always fit the character perfectly. It's painful to watch a character that you created on screen talking in a voice that doesn't suit them. Don't be afraid if this situation ever arises to re-record the voice with a different actor, but make sure to tell the original voice actor. If they take it badly even when you tried to explain nicely, they're probably not worth working with anyway. If you're selecting from a number of voices, it helps to listen to the voices while you have a sketch of the character in front of you, to help you imagine which would be the best fit. But always get the voice right, even if it means you have to reject someone who is asking for the role - even if it's your best friend!
- It's important if you want to emotionally connect with audiences through your film to live your life to the fullest - open yourself to the love of others, experiences and live your life to the fullest. You have painful experiences? Use them. Turn them into something positive and emotionally connect with your audience. Use your experiences to educate and develop your own unique view of the world and share it with others in your films! Be passionate about what you're doing. Only do it if you love it and see it as a long-term career plan. Chances are in the first few years while you're getting established, you won't be making a huge amount of money. People should only do something they don't earn that much from initially if they love it and want to make a lifelong career out of it!
- I think it's super important to make your actors feel comfortable around you as a person, and that they know their characters inside out. I like to talk to the actor about their character before they record so that they understand the script, the character, and my vision, better. But I also like to give my actors creative freedom. I don't force them to stick rigidly to the script as very often, the actor's ad-libs can be even funnier than what was written.
- Writing is a wonderful way for me to share my imagination and experiences with people while also being able to entertain them. One of the great things about being an independent filmmaker is no one tells you what you can and can't do, so there's total creative freedom. However, whenever I write a script, I feel I have to direct it as I will have a very specific vision in my head of how the film should eventually be seen on screen. If something I wrote was made in someone else's vision, it would be psychological torture for me. I act as the producer for the same reason really.
- To me, hand-drawn animation has a charm that CGI will never achieve or replicate, no matter how far the technology advances. Just because computer animation is accelerating so fast does not mean we should forget animation's roots. People want hand-drawn animation so why aren't they being given it? It's a beautiful art form and it doesn't deserve to be forgotten. There is no reason why the two art forms can't co-exist. That's what I'm fighting for - a world where hand-drawn animated films and computer animated films can be produced at the same time, and where people can choose between hand-drawn animated films or computer generated ones when they go to the cinema.
- [on accepting his Young Scot Award for Enterprise] It's great to be acknowledged for something I used to get into trouble at school for doing.
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