Algonquin alumnus Trent Correy was recognized for his work on Disney’s Zootopia when he was awarded with a Golden Globe earlier this month.
Zootopia is a family-friendly movie with a message of acceptance attached to it. One of the most notable scenes, which was the first Correy worked on, involved a painfully slow-moving sloth named Flash.
This is the third of the 28-year-old animator’s notable successes, after he worked on animation teams who were awarded Oscars for their work on Frozen and Big Hero 6, respectively. Moana, another Disney movie Correy had the opportunity to work on, was also nominated for a Golden Globe this year.
Correy graduated from Algonquin’s animation program in 2008 and began working for Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2012. He was accepted to an internship with Disney’s Talent Development Program for young artists after having applied twice a year for three or four years.
“I never dreamed I’d get a job here,” said Correy, in a phone interview with the Times from his job in Burbank, Calif. Correy now acknowledges the strength of the animation program and the training he received during his time at the school.
He said the program teaches the fundamentals of animation, which doesn’t happen very often.
“It’s helped me get to Disney and stay with Disney,” he said.
Correy said the secret to success in his field is all about persistence and timing. “If you want something bad enough, you’ll get it,” he said. “You just got to give the time to it. If you’re honest with yourself and you work towards your goal, you’ll get it.”
And that’s exactly what Correy has done.
“He worked really, really hard,” said Neil Hunter, coordinator of the animation program. Hunter, who is one of Correy’s former professors, said that the young animator was always asking for help when he was a student, which he believes led to much of his success.
“I don’t think it came easy to him,” said Hunter, mentioning that Correy had come to the college on an athletic scholarship. Nevertheless, Correy’s accomplishments have shown that his work has certainly paid off.
“He’s gonna go very far,” said Hunter.
While his newfound success is well worth celebrating, Correy said that the awards are simply a “nice cherry on top” of the work he does with his team at Disney.
“We appreciate them, but it’s not why we do it,” he said. “We do it for the love of the art.”
Correy and his team are currently working on Wreck-It Ralph 2, which is set to be released in 2018.