I had the privilege of being invited to a special gathering and sneak preview of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts on Thursday September 3. The Museum officially opens on September 22.
We arrived at 6:30 and visited the amazing galleries until 8:00 when we were ushered to the rooftop for special remarks. We heard from George’s wife, Mellody Hobson who gave a passionate and emotional speech. Then the architect of the museum, Ma Yansong took the podium to discuss his vision of the building. Finally George Lucas addressed the audience, laid out his vision for the museum to multiple applause.
I had a chance to shake hands with George and thanked him for the inspiration, chatted a bit with Ma Yansong, the architect maestro, and we were treated to fantastic food and beverage.
The museum is a treasure trove of inspiration and features one of the greatest collections of art I’ve ever seen.
As we departed at 10:30, we were gifted some great swag, including a wonderful hardcover art book of the museum’s collection.
I don’t know how I ended up on this guest list but I will be eternally grateful I did. Nancy and I had the time of our life!
I will be a guest at the Pacific Nerdwest this coming Saturday. If you are in Bellingham or in the area, check this cool con. I'll be glad to answer all questions and offer all my books and comics for perusing or buying. Official Link
Over the past three weeks, I have shared the film with a few select friends and industry insiders, and the reactions and feedback have gone far beyond what I was expecting. I’m incredibly glad to hear that the film is connecting with those who have seen it in such a powerful and emotional way.
I’m also deeply gratified that all the work I’ve put into strengthening the story over the years has yielded the results I was hoping for. Without a strong and engaging story, The Saga of Rex would be nothing more than an animation showcase—and that would have been a failure on my part.
Years ago, when I first showed the film to people whose opinions I deeply respected, I received a lot of criticism about the story. I had to put my ego aside and take that criticism to heart. I’m very glad I did. Looking back, I can see how much those reactions helped me reshape and strengthen the film.
Today, I feel that I finally have a story I can be truly proud of—one that I hope will not only entertain audiences but move them deeply enough to bring a few tears to their eyes.
Now that The Saga of Rex movie is finally finished (I wrapped up last week), I find myself catching up on many chores and projects I had put on hold forever. After 14 years of dedicated hard work on my movie, I do feel a bit debilitated trying to readjust to normal life.
The first order of the day was to provide some materials for the upcoming release of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet on various platforms where the game was never available before. A few years ago, we were granted the right from Microsoft to pursue porting the game to any platforms we wished and we gladly took advantage of that situation. Announcement will be forthcoming.
I’m also very excited about the release of Ray Gunn. I’m putting together a reel of some of the effects work I did on the film and hopefully, I’ll be able to share that on my YouTube channel at some point after the film has been released.
Thank you Skydance Animation for the t-shirt. As some of you may know, I was involved with Ray Gunn for 6 months in 2024 and I also worked on the project a few months in 2020 when the film was at Warner Brothers.
I'm glad Brad Bird'sRay Gunn is finally coming out later this year, thanks to Skydance and Netflix. I can't wait to see the finished film! I hope there will be a wrap party so I can meet up with old friends.
Meanwhile, on my end, I've been running the final miles of my 14-year animation marathon. The Saga of Rex is 100% animated (Character and FX) and inbetweened.
I'm putting the final touches in terms of final art direction and compositing. I estimate roughly 4 months of full time work to complete that phase.
I'm essentially getting the film ready for my big screen pro color grading sessions. This will happen later this year after I secure a deal that will allow me to have an original composer, a full orchestra, a choir, as well as professional sound design. I'll make an announcement on that front when I'm allowed.
Thank you Skydance Animation for the t-shirt. As some of you may know, I was involved with Ray Gunn for 6 months in 2024 and I also worked on the project a few months in 2020 when the film was at Warner Brothers. 
