SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Several of this year’s Oscar-nominated animated films have something in common: they all feature work from graduates of Ringling College of Art and Design. Films like Avatar, Elio, K‑Pop Demon Hunters, and Zootopia 2 all include work from alumni of the Sarasota-based animation program. School officials say 66 Ringling alumni worked on films nominated this year.
One of them is Monica LaGrange, who graduated in 2024. LaGrange is now an animator in Los Angeles at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Growing up in Miami, she watched Disney’s Zootopia. Now, she is able to work on the sequel. She says her time studying in Sarasota played a huge role in getting her there.
LaGrange was taught by Interim Department Head Paul Downs. Downs says her curiosity helped her stand out in the competitive program…