Born in Manila, Philippines, Abadilla moved to California at the age of seven and was raised in Milpitas and San Jose, CA. He graduated from San Jose State University, Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation and Illustration. Prior to joining Pixar, he interned with the Walt Disney Animation Studios as part of the Visual Development department.
Paul Abadilla joined Pixar Animation Studios as an intern in June 2008. He has continued on as a sketch artist in several art departments doing shading and set design on the feature films Monsters University, and Academy Award®-winning films Brave and Inside Out. In addition, Abadilla has worked on the short films The Blue Umbrella, Pixar’s first television special Toy Story of TERROR!, LAVA and the Academy Award®-nominated Sanjay’s Super Team. Most recently, Abadilla contributed as a set artist for Disney•Pixar’s newest feature, Finding Dory, which opens in theaters tomorrow, June 15.
As a sketch artist, Abadilla collaborates with film directors, production designers, art directors, and various technical departments to produce the best design solutions for various CG elements used in the film. His versatile skill set allows him to contribute in many aspects of the pipeline, including designing environments, surface textures, and color and lighting.
Friends from the media got to sit down with Paul Abadilla who is a Fil-Am animator of Disney-Pixar's Finding Dory which opens on June 16 in the Philippines. Learn how is it working at Pixar, how one gets into the animation industry and more in the interview below.
Question: A lot has asked you this already, but, how is it working at Pixar?
Paul Abadilla: It’s great! Being surrounded by all these talented people is awesome and just being able to have the opportunity to pick their brains and kind of learn from them. I feel like I’m always learning every time I go to work. So yeah, it’s been great… It’s been like school for me.
How did your passion for art and animation come about? Was it a huge part of your childhood growing up? When did you realize you wanted this as your career?
It was. I’ve always known my dad as the artist of the family and he got his inspiration from his uncle so I was largely inspired by him. So growing up, I would always copy what he’s drawing or ask him to show me how to draw this or that. And I’m just lucky to have parents who enabled me and supported me to draw and become an artist because, at some point in my life, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. And I’m like, I don’t know, is being an artist a thing? Like, can I draw for a living? It wasn’t until high school where I realized that all these cartoons that I’ve watched as a kid, it took a team of artists to make those so I saw a possible career path and pursued it.
Which parts in Finding Dory are your works?
It would be the Kid Zone touch pool scene. I was involved in that set where I was able to oversee its production from designing which I love to do and also carrying it over the technical departments where they model it or visually sculpt the set and also apply the shading design that I have spec’d out for them and also the lighting design that I had painted so the lighting department would know how to light the scene – a wide range of things that were put into that sequence. The funny thing was, it was only on there for a few seconds but a lot of work went into that and I’m glad it was in the movie.
Why do you think makes animated features like ‘Finding Dory’ or ‘Inside Out’ so popular with its audiences?
I think it’s when our characters are really appealing and their journey throughout the film. Just the story is something that at Pixar that we always try to get right that’s why it takes us a long time to make these films because crafting a really good story is very challenging since that’s where everything comes from – that’s the soul of the movie. And if we don’t have that right from the get go, then all these stuff that I do like designing doesn’t mean anything if we can’t connect with our characters. I think that’s why characters like Dory is so attractive because she lives in the moment and her unique quirks are very interesting to follow.
How represented are Filipino artists in the industry?
I think we’re a growing number. I know particularly in Pixar, we’re very well represented there in art, story, animation, consumer products, human resources, finance, security and even the café. For example, one of our chefs is Filipino so it’s not unusual for us to see laing or sisig on the menu. So yeah, we’re spread out.
When Ronnie del Carmen (co-director of Inside Out) came to the Philippines, he said that as much as possible, whenever he can, he tries to incorporate some Filipino elements in what he’s doing. Do you have the same mindset in the case of Finding Dory?
Yes! So for Finding Dory, I tried my best to but with the production schedule, we had to hash out and jam because it’s such a fast-paced working schedule. But that doesn't mean I’m going to stop trying for other projects so stay tuned.
Among all your works, which one are your favorites?
Well, Finding Dory in the touch pool scene and also, I love working on our shorts. I love Piper – the one that was shown before Finding Dory in the cinemas but unfortunately, I did not work on that film. The last short that I was a part of was Sanjay’s Super Team; I had a similar role on set design – color, shading, and lighting design. I think as time passes, whatever project I’m on, I can’t help but say it’s my favorite because it’s new.
What’s your favorite theme in Finding Dory?
Dory’s motto is “just keep swimming” right? So her persistence is something I always find inspiring and how she lives in the moment due to her short term memory but I think it’s a very positive thing to remind ourselves to live in the moment and not be so logged down by our challenges in life but also learn to appreciate what’s already in front of us so I think that’s very valuable.
What do you think would you be doing if you weren’t an artist?
Surfing! *laughs* I love the ocean.
How do people break into the animation industry?
Getting the training that you need to pursue that career; whether if you want to be an animator, an illustrator or a designer like myself, I took a lot of drawing classes, I painted and did all those things that a student does. Even until now as a professional. The one thing that I know that’s very important is, to continue practicing what you do and getting feedback from people because that’s a huge thing. When you apply for such a position, make sure you get all that feedback and you translate that in your portfolio and make it as the best as you can get it. So I think feedback is very important because if you don’t know what to improve upon, I don’t think you’ll have the opportunity to be better so seeking feedback is super important and of course, building a network.
Do you have any advice to young, aspiring artists who would want to follow your footsteps?
Since drawing is a fundamental thing you need to master to communicate things visually, I think keeping a sketchbook is super important. Drawing from life and really honing your observational skills. Like really basic things that you can incorporate into your daily life; whether you’re waiting for your food at a restaurant or you know, things like that. Just draw constantly, every day.
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Finding Dory opens June 16 in cinemas nationwide. Follow Paul Abadilla on Twitter and Instagram to get more updates about his upcoming projects.
