Jonathan DEL VAL

Published on 26/11/2019 by Pauline Jaubert

Graduated from École Méliès in 2003, in the Animated Image Artisan course, Jonathan DEL VAL cut his teeth working on French Roast, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2010.

In 2008, he joined Mac Guff, one of the biggest digital visual effects studios in Europe, and worked as an animator on several films produced by Illumination Entertainment for Universal Pictures: Despicable Me and its sequel, The Lorax, and Minions.

Co-director at Illumination since 2016, he supervised the animation for The Secret Life of Pets and The Grinch before moving on to directing in 2019 alongside Chris Renaud on The Secret Life of Pets 2.

“When it comes to animation, of course it is essential to have a background in movement and the principles of body mechanics, to understand how the body and physics work. However, it is the human aspect that must be taken into account. In my opinion, you have to put yourself into your work, be ready to immerse yourself in your environment in order to translate it through the digital medium. This human dimension is what makes one animator different from another. Their journey, curiosity, passion, hobbies, and the way they look at the world around them lead them to approach the challenges of their work in a personal and unique way. You therefore need openness, curiosity and, above all, a passion for the art of expression and movement. We must not forget that our job is to communicate emotions, forces, and feelings. We have to put forward the artistic and creative sensitivity that is unique to each of us.”

Jonathan DEL VAL, Director and Animation Director