First Screenshot from Pixar Short La Luna revealed

The next animated short film to be released by Pixar is “La Luna”. Directed by Enrico Casarosa and produced by Kevin Reher, La Luna is expected to be released in front of the Pixar film “Brave.” I’ve been a long time fan of Casarosa’s blog and sketchbooks.

La Luna is the timeless fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait. A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family’s most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?

Director Enrico Casarosa joined Pixar Animation Studios in January 2002 and is currently Head of Story at the studios. He began working as a story artist on “Cars” and the Academy Award-winning feature “Ratatouille.” Casarosa’s next project was as story artist on Disney•Pixar’s Academy Award-winning feature film, “Up.” Most recently, Casarosa made his directing debut with the short film, “La Luna.” Currently, Casarosa is working as head of story on an upcoming Pixar film.

As a story artist, Casarosa creates visual sequences from the script. Story artists also generate new ideas and gags, and provide feedback regarding the plot, characters and overall story of the film. With help from story artists, the film’s director finds the story they want to tell and the best cinematographic way to tell it.

Casarosa found early influences in Hayao Miyazaki’s work and grew up watching Miyazaki’s television series in Italy. Born and raised in Genoa, Casarosa moved to New York City in his twenties, to study animation at the School of Visual Arts and Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Before coming to Pixar, Casarosa worked as a storyboard artist at Blue Sky Studios on “Ice Age” and “Robots.” He also worked as a background designer and storyboard artist for a number of Disney Channel Television Series’ including “101 Dalmatians” and “PB&J Otters.”