Animator and Illustrator Amara Grantz

Meet Amara Grantz, an incredibly inspiring young artist currently in the United States taking the arts and animation world by storm! This 19 Year old Tasmanian animator has been turning her dreams into reality by winning film competitions and receiving an internship to work on the upcoming Pinocchio film in the U.S. Learn about her incredible journey as a rising star, and find out what’s happening on and off the set …

Amara, when did it really feel like art was something you connected with?

Ever since I was a kid and drawing, it was a given that I wanted to be an animator or an artist. I was about 14 years old when I entered my first animation into the MyState Film Festival.

Tell us how you got into animation?

It was a lot of teaching myself. I gravitated towards a lot of films by studios like Ghibli and Pixar. I guess a lot films that had ‘storytelling’, which is my favourite type of art: telling stories through art. I would say a lot of my childhood films influence what I create now and what drives me to create more.

What was your absolute favourite go-to film as a kid?

Oh! So many, I would have to say three films: Nausicaä and Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli and The Incredibles by Pixar.

Right now you’re in America working on the upcoming Pinocchio film! How did you come across such an amazing opportunity and how’s it all going over there?

I’m working on stop-motion, which kind of has the same principles as 2D animation, but it’s sort of its own thing. I’m actually holding the puppets and moving them around. In regards to getting here I actually owe it to my mum’s friend, who found the application and sent it to me so that I could enter. The whole thing was created through Screen Australia. Basically I’ve been sent by Screen Australia to learn new skills that I’ll be able to bring back to them. I immediately made a pitch video and got accepted … and here I am! It was really by chance honestly!

What was your first day on the set like?

Well, I can’t say too much about the production as it's TOP SECRET (haha), but it’s just amazing; I’ve been pinching myself the whole time. Working with people who love and understand animation so much is just mind blowing to me. To be in a place with people who made the films I watched growing up … it’s just crazy!

What’s it been like working there during COVID?

I’ve been in the U.S. since January, so COVID happened during my internship, which meant I had to work from home. I wasn’t learning as much as I probably could have been in the studio, but it was really interesting to see the way a production handles a pandemic! The team persevered to keep it all going and there was a lot of creative support through it too. I’m currently working from home, but there are talks about going back to the studio soon, and hopefully that works out.

Do you have any tips for others interested in animation work?

You don’t need lots of fancy equipment to make something good. A tablet is always great, but it’s not particularly needed. I’d say watch a lot of tutorials, follow a lot of people’s journeys and ask other artists how they create their work, and try to connect with artists your age and older too.

If you’d like to find out more about Amara and her work, be sure to check out her website at: www.amaragantz.wixsite.com/ amaragantz.