Dear Friends:

2011 stared on an unnatural high, positioning the back half of the year as the humbling balance needed to enjoy such luxurious periods in life.  I have yet to enjoy a single day off work in the past 6 months, suffered a dislocated finger in our basketball league, bid adieu to several cornerstone Angelenos, and face an increased production crunch at Disney entering 2012.

Nonetheless, a 17-mile day hike through Yosemite National Park was a nice change of pace from the local trails this summer, and a quick fall getaway took me to St. Louis for a sports, grub, and Budweiser infused weekend.  Overdue firsts included Nokia LA Live for Kid Cudi and Copley Symphony Hall for Daniel Tosh.

Conventions kept my summer "educational", making my way to downtown LA for the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, San Diego for Comic Con in July, and Anaheim for the D23 Expo in August.  I've definitely developed an immunity for these things, where the Klingon Lifestyles Presentation no longer appear to phase me at its extreme awkwardness.

At D23, our current project, Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" (formerly "Reboot Ralph", November 2012), screened the first 4 minutes in storyboards to the 4,200+ person arena and was positioned on the convention floor inside a 1980s classic 8-bit arcade cabinet.  In addition to my daily work routine, I've had the opportunity to geek around on our new motion camera capture stage and collaborate with software engineers to develop the studio's production tracking system.

"Tangled" continues its success as TIME magazine's 19th best animated film of all time, Rapunzel's recent coronation into the Kensington Palace royal court, and a new short "Tangled Ever After" in theaters with "Beauty and the Beast 3D" (January 2012).

This holiday I'll make one of my few remaining trips back to Philadelphia to witness the first Huang child (Jennifer) to be joined in holy matrimony. 

See you on the other side,
-Mike

Dear Friends:

"Tangled" successfully hosted a $68.7 million Thanksgiving bow - making it the biggest domestic box office opening for Walt Disney Animation Studios, and the second biggest turkey weekend opener in history. Conversely, ImageMovers Digital's "Mars Needs Moms" pulled a $6.9 million opening weekend and is currently on "track to become one of the biggest box-office bombs in movie history." Fun to be involved in both sides of history, even more fun to be involved in the Disney music video "Something That I Want" by Grace Potter (look for a familiar face around the 3:00 mark).

My latest world adventure took me on a 3-week exploration through the South Island of New Zealand and Sydney, Australia in December. My experiences were triumphant, revealing, and equally terrifying - including a handstand off the world's highest cliff jump (360 ft), tramping across the Travers river upon my descent from Angelus Peak, swimming in the eel infested Lake Rotoiti, a 38-minute sprint up Bob's Peak (480 ft / 37° incline) at night, and a shower in the Christchurch airport. I can't wait to go back and do it again.

After a 28-month hiatus, I finally returned to the East Coast this April on a whirlwind tour coalescing with the family, reuniting with familiar faces, and uncovering pockets of yuppies in New York, Philly, and Chicago. I returned to my alma mater high school in New Jersey for a speaking engagement on Computer Animation that was a testament to my career dexterity and reassurance in validating my fortunate line of achievements.

Despite the traveling, a relatively slow period at Disney allowed for frolicking in my first graupel blizzard in Burbank, hiking my way around new LA territory, another undefeated championship season in the Burbank Men's Open Basketball League, a return to the Coachella Music Festival, and a forgetful night in Hollywood that left me with a concussion. My reckless indulgence of toys this round included a new Nikon digital SLR with 18-200mm lens, Pioneer HDMI A/V receiver, and 54" Panasonic 3D HDTV.

This summer, it's back to the magic, stepping up to my new role on Disney's "Reboot Ralph" (2012).

Til next time,
-Mike

Dear Friends:

In September, after 16 months, I was relieved of my extensive role on Disney's "Tangled". Before we wrapped, I had the surreal opportunity to be on the orchestra sound stage with Composer Alan Menken and witness him score the film (it's a musical).

Scheduled to release nationwide on November 24, "Tangled" will be my third theatrical feature film in three years. However, Walt Disney Animation Studio's next CG feature is not slated until the spring 2013, which raises a lot of career questions.

Additional milestones included graduating UCLA Extension with a Certificate in Project Management (earned with distinction), our basketball team's undefeated summer season in winning the Burbank Men's Open Basketball League championship, and finally assembling my mac mini home theater PC (running plex from an unraid server).

Some new territory explored included wine tasting in Temecula, summer concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, show taping at Warner Brothers, and 11 days as a juror on an LA county murder trial with Christopher Darden. Although familiar territory, equally entertaining trips included San Diego for Memorial Day and ComicCon, Newport Beach for Fourth of July, Dodger Stadium's all-you-can-eat pavilion, and my birthday riot at California Adventure's new nighttime spectacular World of Color.

For the remainder of the year, I'll be working on (Northern California based) ImageMovers Digital's motion capture feature "Mars Needs Moms" through a remote crew at Disney Animation (Burbank, CA) - and yes, unfortunately everyone I work with now is a continual reminder of the Phillies NLCS loss to the Giants. "Moms" is scheduled for released next March 2011.

As for this winter, I will be taking a few weeks for an adventurous trip hiking, kayaking, biking and exploring New Zealand's South Island. Feeling well versed in the routines of living in LA and demands of the Mouse House, I consider an international escape down under with the Kiwis my self rehabilitation.

Hope your holidays include a chance to get "Tangled" with family and friends.

Gidday!
-Mike

Dear Friends:

"Princess and the Frog" accumulated over $260 million worldwide. Despite the relatively disappointing box office numbers, Frog received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature and TIME magazine ranked it the #1 movie of 2009.

New highlights include my first Eagles football game in San Diego, my birthday with the Black Eyed Peas and U2 at the Rose Bowl, and a face melting experience* at the 3-day Coachella Music Festival in the Palm Desert with the likes of Jay-Z, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, and the Gorillaz. Another 23 hour spontaneous Vegas trip happened somewhere in there as well.

Besides that, I've really spent the past few months quite selfishly, taking a real close look at my personal well being.

In my continual effort to single handedly revitalize the nation's economy, I purchased an Intel Core i5-750 computer and a 2010 Honda Accord Coupe (my first new car). In addition, I've spent a considerable amount of time suiting up the condo - selling old things, painting the walls, furnishing the living room, and wiring together an entertainment center. Perhaps my favorite addition so far is a home theater electric recliner, which has appropriately earned the "silla de hombre" title.

At Disney, I have developed a strong affinity for the art of animation and have growing confidence in my capabilities - although that gets put to the test daily on my current project "Tangled" (November 2010), previously titled "Rapunzel".

After some careful consideration where my future may lead, I will be exploring different roles Disney may have to offer as well as other opportunities within the entertainment field after this summer's production crunch. Because of that primary uncertainty, I haven't solidified too many plans beyond there - but would always enjoy traveling (your suggestions are welcome).

Check out the "Tangled" teaser, and our theatrical trailer which will be in front of "Toy Story 3" (June 18).

Yours,
-Mike

*observation courtesy Michael Burton

Dear Friends: At Disney, I finished my role on "Princess and the Frog" in June, spent a brief stint on "Beauty and the Beast 3D" (2010), before settling in on "Rapunzel" (Holiday 2010). I took advantage of a shorter work week by returning to Las Vegas (twice) by finally overcoming the anxiety of not being able to out-due my senior year formal at USC. I also made my first trip to Big Bear for the Forth of July, San Diego for ComicCon, Anaheim for the D23 Expo, Irvine for Dave Matthews Band, Beverly Hills for the Playboy Mansion, and Chicago for the USC/Notre Dame football game. At the end of September I embarked on a 2 week trip through China - visiting Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangshuo, and Shanghai. Overall, it was refreshing to take a break from my LA routine and experience the rich history, unique culture, and remarkable development of China (especially during the 60th anniversary of the PRC). Perhaps the most memorable moment from my first triathlon in Malibu was along the bike ride, when an elder competitor turned to me and exclaimed "do something to be proud of son" before zooming off ahead. Truly taking that to heart, I found renewed motivation, finishing 10/20 in the M20-24 age group, and 33/121 in the M25-29 age group: 00:14:52.2 Swim (0.5 miles) 00:03:10.6 Transition 1 01:00:14.6 Bike (18.0 miles) 00:00:58.5 Transition 2 00:31:45.8 Run (4.0 miles) 01:51:01.8 Thanks again to everyone who helped Disney and I raise $250,000 for the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. For the rest of the year I anticipate focusing on big home improvement projects, enrolling in my final class at UCLA extension, upgrading my automobile, and spending the holidays with the family on the West coast (for the first time). I'm always excited to read what you have to share. Let me know what you think of "Princess and the Frog" in theaters nationwide December 11. Take care, -Mike

Dear Friends:

"Bolt" was a success, grossing $290 million worldwide and an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. It is now available on DVD and includes my second screen credit - the new animated short "Super Rhino". To top it off, I met Miley Cyrus shopping in Burbank.

I caught the Phillies marching through Los Angeles, and practically broke into tears when they won the World Series. On downtime over the winter holiday - I had my wisdom teeth extracted, took my PSU alum brother to the Rose Bowl vs USC, and hosted my dad's first visit to Burbank.

At Disney, I have the unique experience to now be working on "Princess and the Frog", a traditional hand drawn 2D animated feature film positioned to be an instant classic (with the directors of "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid"). It is scheduled to release holiday 2009, so look for our trailer on Pixar's "Up" (May 29) and "Toy Story 3D" (October 2).

I have committed to my first Triathlon on September 13 in Malibu, which begins with frequent exercise and a daily ride on my bike to work. You can even watch a brief clip of me running in the background on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno from April 21. I am the guy with the gold top and black shorts in the park that appears at 13:53.

Should you find the generosity to support my race, Team Disney and I have challenged ourselves to raise over $250,000 this year for the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Anything you may have to offer [HERE] is certainly appreciated, now more than ever in a very tough economic climate.

Any capacity that I have for additional mental or physical ambitions, I direct towards my classes at UCLA extension and home projects. The condo is coming together quite well and welcome you to visit anytime. I promise I won't make you lift anything... too heavy.

Finally, I hope to do some vacationing later this year - so let me know if you'll be up and about.

Best,
-Mike

Dear Friends: It's been a busy summer. On October 13, we officially locked the final reel on "Bolt". Scheduled to release nationwide on November 21, this will be my first theatrical screen credit as well as a brief (illustrated) cameo on screen. Still part of the magic at Walt Disney Animation Studios, I have been re-cast to a short animated film starring the Bolt character "Rhino" (the hamster) due at the end of the year that will be put on the film's DVD. After 10 months of 6 day, 70+ hour weeks - switching to normal work hours has taken some adjustment. I have utilized the "free" time by participating in organized recreational activities, becoming reacquainted with people like you, and enrolling in a project management class at UCLA Extension (boooo). In August, I officially closed escrow on a new one-bedroom condominium unit at the Burbank Collection in downtown Burbank (check my new contact information). Given the timing and location, the opportunity was perfect. I have (still) only begun to settle in. It has been very exciting, and somewhat overwhelming, to be a southern California homeowner but something I am so fortunate to experience - especially in this current economy. And yes, housewarming party plans are in the works. As for yourself, how is life? Regards, -Mike

Dear Friends:

Since I last wrote, I am pleased to say as a result of this email, I was able to catch up with many old friends while discovering new neighbors and co-workers. Thank you all who have taken the time to reply.

In December, I officially completed my full degree at USC (after 139 units). It was sort of uneventful since one class wasn't nearly enough to make me feel like a student, but to think that I have been out of college for almost a year, is still "mind-bottling".

Life at Walt Disney Animations Studios is magical. We are in full gear as production demands are high on the animated feature film "Bolt" which is scheduled to release nation-wide this thanksgiving 2008. With a deadline only 20 weeks away, simply put, it's busy. Look for our trailer in front of "WALL-E", "Hancock", and "The Dark Knight".

In the time I do spend in my studio in downtown Los Angeles, watching LA Live develop around the Nokia Theater is quite amazing and I hope to catch some of the X-Games in a few months. However, I anticipate moving to the Burbank area at the end of summer.

Hope all is well. I wouldn't have sent you this mail if I didn't wish to hear from you.

All my best,
-Mike