From Pretoria to Pixar and an Oscar, one frame at a time - Ferdi Scheepers
Behind successful films is an army of people creating the magic we see on screen. In the case of animated films, that means 24 painstaking frames per second to bring characters to life — ones our kids and we have come to love. One of those creators is a South African born in Pretoria who moved from satellite imagery at CSIR to become a digital effects artist at Pixar. Ferdi Scheepers has worked on The Incredibles, Toy Story, and most recently, Disney’s sci-fi adventure Elio. Now on his 19th film for Pixar, he told Biznews in an interview that he was also part of the team behind Piper, the Oscar-winning short that took home Best Animated Short Film in 2017.
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Edited transcript of the interview
Linda van Tilburg (00:01.038)
Well, it’s not every day we get to speak to a Pixar artist, especially one born in Pretoria, South Africa. Ferdi Scheepers has spent the past 23 years at the legendary studio behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out—films that redefined animation and storytelling. Ferdi has also helped shape some of Pixar’s biggest hits, and he’s in the BizNews studio with me. Hi, Ferdi, it’s so nice to see you. It’s great to be with you.
Ferdi Scheepers (00:26)
I’m very pleased to be with you.
Linda van Tilburg (00:30)
And all the way from the West Coast in the U.S.
Ferdi Scheepers (00:38)
Yes, we’re here in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the studios in Emeryville. I have about a 25-minute commute to the studio.
Linda van Tilburg (00:44)
So, before we get to what you’re doing now, I think we need to go back and ask: how did you make the leap from Pretoria to Pixar?
Ferdi Scheepers (00:52)
Well, it’s an interesting story. When I was about 10 years old, our family lived in the United States, in Seattle, Washington, for a year. As kids, we got to watch cartoons long before South Africa had television. The cartoons fascinated me, and I asked my dad how they worked. He explained that you draw 24 frames, each slightly different, and when played at speed, they create the illusion of life. That was so fascinating to me, and I always wanted to be involved in animation somehow. Later, in high school, I got a chance to study computer science.
At some point, I realised computers could be tools for creating animation. So, I specialised in computer graphics at Ohio State University, where I earned my PhD. Eventually, I had the opportunity to apply for positions at both Pixar and PDI, which is now DreamWorks. I got an offer from Pixar in 2002, so I brought my whole family—my wife and three sons—to the U.S. and have been working at Pixar happily ever since.
Linda van Tilburg (02:20.622)
Before we got on the call, I mentioned growing up with Disney, and the characters are so amazing. So, tell us, which Disney or Pixar films have you worked on?
Ferdi Scheepers (02:35)
The list is too long to cover them all, but I started with The Incredibles. That was my first film. Elio is my 19th credited film out of the 29 Pixar feature-length films we’ve made.
Linda van Tilburg (03:03)
You just mentioned The Incredibles—my favourite Disney character is Jack-Jack!
Ferdi Scheepers (03:04)
Oh, yeah, he’s just amazing. The surprise of his superpowers revealed at the end of The Incredibles is incredible.
Linda van Tilburg (03:15)
You mentioned that it’s 24 sketches for every second. Take us through the process. How long does it take, and how do you come up with these characters? They appeal not only to children but to grown-ups as well.
Ferdi Scheepers (04:04)
That’s right. Computer graphics play a big role in animation. We create models of characters, rigs to move them, and 3D models of the environments where the characters act. The start of an animated feature is an idea from a director—a story they want to tell. That idea is developed by a story team and a screenwriter, and it takes a long time to reach a point where the company decides the story is ready for production.
The whole process, from the initial idea to the final frame being rendered, takes four, five, or sometimes even six years. As an effects artist, I’m involved at the back end of production. We create everything that moves but isn’t a character. For example, if a character walks on a beach and creates footprints, the animation team handles the character’s movement, and we, as effects artists, create the footprints in the sand. We also create waves, explosions, fire, dust—anything that makes the character’s actions feel grounded in a realistic environment.
Linda van Tilburg (05:53)
It feels like Disney has sped things up. I remember one movie a year, maybe even less, but now it seems more frequent. What kind of pressure does that put on people like you?
Ferdi Scheepers (06:08)
Well, we have a large effects department, and we divide artists across different productions. For example, I’m currently working on Toy Story 5. Other artists have just finished Hoppers, which comes out next year, while others are moving on to a film after Toy Story 5. Although we’re one department, we work on multiple productions simultaneously, and that’s true for all departments at Pixar.
Linda van Tilburg (06:49)
How has AI changed your job?
Ferdi Scheepers (06:52)
At the moment, not at all. As Pixar, we’re interested in AI, like any other company, and we’re exploring ways it can be used as a tool. But in our creative environment, we believe people are the creators of the excitement, emotion, and stories we tell. We want to use AI as a tool in the hands of artists, just like we use computers now.
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Linda van Tilburg (07:37)
Your latest project is about a boy who wants to be abducted. What was it like working on that?
Ferdi Scheepers (07:43)
I had a great time working on Elio. I was involved for almost four years, which is unusual because effects artists typically work in the final year of production. On Elio, I worked with the production designer and their team to help create one of the characters, U. U is a liquid supercomputer, kind of an emoji-like character that helps Elio navigate the communiverse where he’s abducted and supports him through his adventures. We used a technology called implicit surfaces, which is a unique, new way of creating characters. It gives animators tools for dynamic, morphing actions. My contribution was creating electric signals embedded in U to show it’s an intelligent supercomputer.
Linda van Tilburg (09:11)
Do you have a favourite Pixar movie you’ve worked on?
Ferdi Scheepers (09:20)
When I get asked that, I often say the last one—Elio. It’s a beautiful story, and we make these movies for the big screen. I’d encourage people to watch it in theatres because the Communiverse is filled with amazing characters, environments, and rich, colourful details. The story itself is about a boy who feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere. He learns to connect with others, be vulnerable, and make friends. But if I had to choose, it’s probably The Incredibles, my first Pixar film. I also have a soft spot for a short we did called Piper, which won an Academy Award, and I was the effects supervisor on that.
Linda van Tilburg (10:55)
An Academy Award! I didn’t do my research properly. That sounds amazing.
Ferdi Scheepers (10:59)
Yeah, Piper was the first Pixar short to win an Academy Award since For the Birds, which I think won in 2003, if I remember correctly.
Linda van Tilburg (11:22)
Were you able to take your kids—or possibly grandchildren—to see the Disney or Pixar films?
Ferdi Scheepers (11:27)
My three boys are now adults, married, and have their own kids. With Elio, I was privileged to take my granddaughter, Chloe, to the Elio screening at Pixar. We have these friends-and-family screenings before the movie is released. It was wonderful to take her and her dad and see their smiles and reactions. It’s definitely something that can be enjoyed by multiple generations.
Linda van Tilburg (12:12)
What’s next for you? Are you allowed to tell us anything about what you’re working on?
Ferdi Scheepers (12:17)
I’m working on Toy Story 5, and it’s a beautiful story. I can’t reveal much, obviously, but we’re having lots of fun creating the effects for it.