Jennifer C. Klein and Bert Klein
Pups of Liberty: Animating the Revolution
Dogs, Cats, and Tricorn hats? Yes, please! Pups of Liberty is a series of animated shorts that interpret the American Revolution and its founding figures into animated counterparts. Join Spaniel Adams, Bonejamin Franklin, Muttsy Otis Warren, George Woofington and many more as they take on complicated concepts and make them relatable and understandable for a young audience. The films, produced as non-profit and entirely non-politically biased, present the subjects as well researched representations of our founders that will encourage further curiosity and foster a love for history. For the last 15 years, the Pups of Liberty films have been used by thousands of teachers and parents across the country to teach their students. This session would involve a visual presentation of the animation process involved in making the films. Some examples of what will be discussed are the steps they take for research and visual development, character design, voice actors, and animation.
Bert Klein, director/animator, began his professional animation career at Film Roman where he worked as an animator on the acclaimed fourth season of The Simpsons. He later joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1993 as a trainee on The Lion Kingand then worked as an assistant animator on A Goofy Movie and Pocahontas. He was promoted to full animator status on Hercules and subsequently was an animator on Mulan, Tarzan, Fantasia 2000, The Emperor’s New Groove, and Treasure Planet. He left Disney in 2002 to work as a CGI animator at WETA digital on Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. After also working as the lead animator on The Simpsons Movie, he returned to Disney in 2008 as an animator on Princess and the Frog in 2008, followed by Winnie the Pooh in 2010. Bert then animated on many Disney features including Wreck it Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, Wreck it Ralph 2, Frozen 2, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, Strange World, and Wish.
Jennifer C. Klein, director/animator, started in the industry as an animator at Warner Bros. and went on to animate at Dreamworks, Disney, and Universal on such films as Iron Giant, El Dorado, and The Emperor’s New Groove. She then made her own short films, which have been nominated for 3 “Best Short Film” Annie Awards, including one from her Pups of Liberty series. Recently, she has also worked on the Peabody award winning series Stillwater in animation. Pups of Liberty combines her love of animation, history, and animals, and fulfills her passion to educate through endearing characters on screen.
