Magical moment: Wong is happy he got a chance to breathe life into the art for the sequel to his favourite film, ‘Inside Out’.
PETALING JAYA: In 2015, Sherwyn Wong was moved to tears when he watched the hit animated movie Inside Out. Nine years later, he beamed with pride when the sequel hit the screens because he worked on it.
It was a dream come true for the young Malaysian to bring Pixar’s Inside Out 2 to life after the first movie had inspired him to pursue animation.
Inside Out is a heartwarming tale about a 13-year-old who suddenly experiences new complicated emotions of anxiety, envy and embarrassment with impending puberty.
“I remember crying in the cinema then, with everyone around me also sniffling and moved to tears.
“That was when I truly felt the power of animation – to move and entertain people,” said the 26-year-old in an interview.
For Wong, working at Pixar Animation Studios on Inside Out 2 was truly surreal.
“It was amazing to be involved in one of my favourite movies ever,” he said, calling it a full-circle moment for him.
Watching the production upon its completion deepened his passion for animation.
The rewarding moments, he said, were seeing his team’s ideas come to life and gaining positive feedback on his animated shots from the director.
He worked with director Kelsey Mann and also Pete Docter, whom he described as a legend in the industry.
It was challenging, to say the least, to push himself to meet the high standards of Pixar animation, especially in the meticulous detailing in every scene, he added.
“It’s all the small things, like the timing of the blinking, how much the character’s mouth should open, and the enunciation.
“I animated some shots and also the background characters – their reactions to the talking characters, and making them feel like part of the world,” he said.
Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur and now based in the United States, Wong said art has always been a big part of his life.
“As a kid, I watched cartoons and would replicate the characters in my drawings. I drew a lot of dinosaurs, anime, Naruto and Transformers growing up,” he recalled.
His mother had wanted him to pursue architecture but when he learned about animation courses after finishing secondary school, he went for it right away.
He is thankful that his parents were supportive of his unconventional career choice.
He completed his diploma in Kuala Lumpur and moved to San Francisco in 2019 for a degree in animation.
While studying, he tried without success to apply for an internship with Pixar three times.
He did not give up. After graduating, he applied again and to his joy, got the job six months later.
This gave him the golden opportunity to work on Inside Out 2 and Elio, which will be released next year.
Passionate about his home country, Wong hopes to branch out into directing a short film that reflects Malaysian culture in the future.
“I definitely want to feature Malaysian food, the best in the world,” he enthused.
He is also determined to show that animation is not just for children.
“Even my parents feel that animation or cartoons are just for kids. I want to get rid of that notion,” he said.
To aspiring animators, Wong has this to say: Don’t be afraid of failure.
“Work hard and don’t give up, but be kind to yourself. It’s okay to make mistakes and to fail,” he said.
More importantly, he said, one should treasure life experiences and hold on to core values.
“Your life experiences are different, so apply those to your work.
“You are just like art, and experiences make us human,” he said.
