Exposed to its magic as a child, Brittany Kikuchi always dreamt of working for Disney. Now, the 2012 Academy of Art University graduate from the School Animation & Visual Effects and ART U women's basketball alumni is living that dream.

After having had a chance to work on critically acclaimed hit Fruitvale Station while attending Academy of Art, Kikuchi went on to assist in the production of Big Hero 6, 2015 Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, and most recently Ralph Breaks the Internet, a 2019 Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film.
 
The journey for Kikuchi began in Catherine Tate's now famous "Studio400A" class. Tate, the compositing lead in the Academy of Art School of Animation & Visual Effects, is an accomplished visual effects artist and compositor whose collaborative class contributed to the production of numerous independent films since 2006. In 2011, Kikuchi had an opportunity to work on one such work in Fruitvale Station.

Based on the real-life story of the BART police shooting of Oscar Grant, portions of the film required the assistance of the class to meticulously create the background of a BART train while it was parked front of a green screen. Tate's students went as far as to add reflections of the West Oakland cityscape on the windows while formulating the environment surrounding Grant and his friends en route to their deadly New Year's Eve encounter with police.

"I learned a lot about the VFX pipeline and how different artists collaborate and how different artists work with directors," said Kikuchi. "It was a really good behind-the-scenes of how a real production works. It really helped me when I got to Disney Animation."

As a pioneering member of Academy of Art women's basketball, Kikuchi played in all 27 games during the 2009-10 basketball season, the program's second in its existence. One of the most dangerous 3-point shooters on the team, one of her highlights was a career-high 11 points including three makes from long range versus Notre Dame de Namur on Feb. 22, 2010. Every time she suited up for action, Kikuchi demonstrated the determination and heart needed to succeed well beyond the court.
 
"Being a student-athlete at ART U taught me focus, discipline, teamwork, endurance, and time management," said Kikuchi. "I was also inspired by others and their passion for what they do. All those things come together in my job now where everyone is passionate about one thing. Everyone takes one piece of the bigger picture and does their best work, just like my teammates in basketball."

Leading up to her graduation in December 2012, Kikuchi was told by Michael Buffington, one of her professors who is also a freelance illustrator who worked as a designer for Lucas Film Animation on the cartoon series The Clone Wars, that she should attend the Creative Talent Working convention if she wanted to learn more about the animation industry. It was at CTN in November 2012 that Kikuchi would experience a life-altering encounter.

"At CTN, I met Kellie Hoover and Collin Larkins, two artist managers at Walt Disney Animation Studios," said Kikuchi. "I told them about my life-long dream of working at Disney and my aspirations of becoming a producer. They said that a production assistant job would be perfect for me. We got to talking and really hit it off. The rest was history! I like to tell this story because it felt like a fairy tale at the time. Kellie and Collin changed my life forever. As we were wrapping up our conversation, Kellie leaned in and whispered, 'I can't wait to work with you.' She is the nicest human being on this planet so I'm sure it didn't mean anything to her, but it meant the world to me. I clearly remember saying my goodbyes to both Kellie and Collin and walking out into the parking lot where I balled my eyes out. I was so inspired to graduate and begin my life in the animation industry. I literally wrote on my hand every day with sharpie until graduation, 'I will work for Disney.'"

Kikuchi finished her collegiate career at the end of December, moved back home to Los Angeles, and soon found herself working on what would become the highest-grossing animated film of 2014. In February 2013, she started as a production assistant on Disney's Big Hero 6 in the character asset department. It was a comfortable starting place after she had built assets in her time at Academy of Art. After the conclusion of her contributions there, she moved into the stereoscopic department where she saw how a movie gets finished out.

"After I graduated in 2012, I was fortunate enough to have a really good resume from the Academy of Art," said Kikuchi. "My resume was built on producing student films and Catherine Tate's Studio 400A Class. Then, on Big Hero 6, I got to add to that by experiencing a full view of the filmmaking process."

When production on Big Hero 6 had wrapped up, Kikuchi spent the next two years on Disney's Inner Workings, a theatrical short film that debuted in late 2016 and was seen by audiences watching Moana. Further developing her skills with added responsibilities, Kikuchi was promoted from a production assistant to production coordinator.

"This was one of my fondest memories at Walt Disney Animation Studios," said Kikuchi. "Working on a short film felt like working on a student film again. I was one of five production management staff on the entire short. I rolled on at the very beginning with director Leo Matsuda during development and I was one of the last people who rolled off. I got an in-depth, high-level view of filmmaking. I wasn't just responsible for managing one department, but multiple."

After contributing in the sound department to another Disney short called Weeds, Kikuchi moved to her next and most recent major release: Ralph Breaks the Internet. In the editorial department, known as "where everything in the film comes together," Kikuchi's responsibilities included script management and ensuring all the other departments in the production process were informed of story changes, editorial changes, and sound changes. Her segment also handled what sequences were in play, on hold, changing, and what editorial needed from various other departments in order to do its work.

When she wasn't caught up with storyboards, sound effects, or the needs of other departments, Kikuchi had a unique opportunity to add her own voice into the film itself. Watching Ralph Breaks the Internet, one might not initially recognize her, however, as she is responsible for the voice of Baby Mo who appears in a hilarious credits scene involving a game called "Pancakes and Milkshakes," where she has to feed a bunny and a kitten.

"In editorial, you're working directly with the directors, writers, actors, and the editors," said Kikuchi. "Often times they need what we call 'scratch voices,' which are temporary voice-overs. On one occasion, they asked if I could talk like as a kid so I did my best impression and they ended up liking it so much that they kept it in the film. It's one of the many perks of working in the editorial department."

With her own experience at Academy of Art close to her heart, Kikuchi would advise a freshman with similar aspirations to have fun and stay curious, not unlike Ralph Breaks the Internet's Vanellope von Schweetz amid the sea of the Internet's possibilities.

"Enjoy every class that the major has to offer," said Kikuchi. "Get out there and meet new people. Explore friends outside your major. Go to school events. Step out of your comfort zone. Take time out of your busy schedule and explore the beautiful city of San Francisco. Don't take these precious four years for granted. Before you know it, you'll be in the industry wishing you were back in school."

With more than six years of work at Walt Disney Animation Studios now under her belt, Kikuchi cherishes her path every day and eagerly awaits the next chapter in her story.

"It's good for people to understand that the animation industry is actually a lot larger and more diverse than most people assume when they go into it," said Kikuchi. "There's a wide variety of skillsets and interests. I started at the Academy of Art thinking I wanted to be an animator, but I found my place in production management where I'm close to the art, but it's more specific to my skillset. So, the more people can learn about the animation industry and all the jobs that exist within it, the better they can find a job that suits them."