The screening was part of the Animex International Festival of Animation & Computer Games, hosted by the University of Teesside. Now in it’s ninth year, the event attracts a host of international speakers, many who have been involved in creating box office hits.
Among them was Mark Walsh, from Pixar Animation Studios in California. As well as being the Directing Animator on Finding Nemo, he was also part of the animation team behind The Incredibles and Supervising Animator for the 2007 box office hit and Oscar-nominated film Ratatouille.
Mark introduced the special screening of Finding Nemo at Middlesbrough’s Cineworld for children from Pallister Park, Green Lane and North Ormesby primary schools in Middlesbrough.
North Ormesby Primary School pupils Misbah Begum and Ben Pickering, both seven, were among excited members of the audience.
Misbah said: ‘I really like Finding Nemo and the adventure Nemo goes on with all the other fish. It’s exciting.’ Ben added: ‘It’s really good in the film when Nemo meets the sharks. My favourite character is the blue fish called Dory who keeps forgetting things.’
Before the screening of Finding Nemo Mark described how he enjoyed being able to sit among an audience and watch their reaction to a film he helped to create. He explained: ‘As an artist we work on these films for four or five years, so I love being able to be part of the audience, watching it with them and seeing how the audience reacts.’
He added: ‘I’ve been at Pixar for 11 years and this is my third visit to Animex. It’s a fantastic festival and I am always really excited to come here. As an artist we get inspired by seeing what is out there.’
As well as the screening, Mark will also deliver a keynote speech and meet University students as part of an animation workshop during Animex.