**FREE** Q&Awards: ZOOTOPIA 2

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In “Zootopia 2,” rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde's partnership is tested after they become fugitives from the law while chasing a mysterious pit viper who arrives in town to uncover buried secrets as old as the city of Zootopia itself. (Description by Walt Disney Animation Studios)

Byron Howard is the Academy Award®–winning director of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” (with Jared Bush) and “Zootopia” (with Rich Moore). Howard also directed Disney Animation’s worldwide hit feature “Tangled” with Nathan Greno, and the duo teamed up again for the short film “Tangled Ever After.” Most recently, he was the animation director for Disney Animation’s “Moana 2” and for the new Walt Disney World attraction “Zootopia: Better Zoogether!”

As a child, Howard’s favorite Disney Animation films included “Robin Hood,” “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty.” He was also inspired by artists like Chuck Jones, Ronald Searle and Bill Watterson, and he would fill reams of computer paper with characters of his own creation. His love of art and animation continued through high school and college.

Howard earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Evergreen State College in Washington, where he pursued his interest in filmmaking by studying cinematography, art and literature. By 1991 he was part of the Disney family, hosting the animation tour at what was then Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando. In 1994 Howard officially joined Disney Animation in Florida as an inbetweener and clean-up artist on “Pocahontas.” He quickly went on to become an animator on “Mulan” and a supervising animator on “Lilo & Stitch” and “Brother Bear,” as well as doing character design on both of those films.

Howard later relocated to California, where he continued his study of cinematography and drawing as a story artist and character designer at Disney Animation before becoming a director in 2006. Disney Animation’s Oscar®-nominated feature “Bolt” marked Howard’s debut as a feature film director (alongside Chris Williams). Howard also designed some of the characters in that film.

Howard loves the collaborative medium of animation because it combines art, cinematography, writing, design, acting and music with a family of supportive and talented artists and crew. Team members inspire each other to achieve something greater than they could alone.

In addition to his lifelong passion for animation and a career spanning over 20 years, Howard’s interests include art, music, theater, travel and a deep love for animals.

Jeremy Milton, ACE (Editor) grew up in a small town amidst New Hampshire’s stone walls and maple trees. He was a fan of television and movies from a young age, waking up to Popeye cartoons on the 12-inch black & white TV next to his bed, and rarely missing Godzilla movies when they aired on Saturdays. After graduating from Yale in 1986 with a BA in film studies, he made his way to California and fell in love with picture editing.

He worked for several years as an assistant editor on numerous live-action projects, starting his career as an apprentice editor on “Carnosaur,” a low-budget movie produced by Roger Corman, before branching out to assist on a wide range of features around Los Angeles, including “Ghost World,” “Mother Night,” and “Dumb and Dumber.

Milton first entered the world of animation in 1999, joining Walt Disney Animation Studios on “The Emperor’s New Groove.” He enjoyed the deep attention to story and the intense spirit of collaboration required to make animated movies, and has been working on them ever since. He has served as Lead Editor on many animated features, from “Bambi II” and “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure,” to the Academy Award®-winning “Zootopia” (which he cut with Fabienne Rawley), “Ralph Breaks the Internet” the Oscar®-winning “Encanto,” and the hit sequel “Moana 2.”