Tom Carey, a graduate of BA (Hons) Animation Production at AUB, is set to visit the campus this month to discuss his career trajectory. His journey has taken him from creating student thesis films to working on LAIKA's ambitious feature, Wildwood.
Carey's passion for stop motion animation began in primary school with a claymation project. He cites Wallace and Gromit as a significant inspiration, and the opportunity to study animation at GCSE level in secondary school solidified his path. This passion became his 'North Star' throughout his education.
During his time at AUB, Carey directed 'Hiding' (2021), a stop motion–CG hybrid musical short. Inspired by his decade-long involvement in musical theatre, the project aimed to merge his love for art and performance. The hybrid approach was partly due to COVID-19 constraints and student specialisms, leading to a collaboration with CG animators. Carey described it as a 'merging of all my passions'.
Reflecting on his overall experience at AUB, Carey found it 'really good', highlighting the course's focus on fundamental art skills and life drawing alongside animation. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 lockdowns, which limited studio access for stop-motion students, he expressed pride in what the team achieved. He even had to finish directing his thesis film remotely while starting an internship in America.
The opportunity at LAIKA arose after Carey reapplied for an internship in his third year, leveraging his thesis film work. Holding dual UK–US citizenship made him eligible for the role. After several interview rounds, he was offered a position and moved to Portland, Oregon, within weeks. He described the studio floor as 'intense', filled with animators whose work he had idolised.
Following a three-month internship, Carey was offered a full-time position as an Assistant Animator, eventually working his way up to Animator on Wildwood. He noted that each LAIKA film escalates in scale, with Wildwood featuring more set locations and complex characters than previous productions, crossing 'so many magical worlds and factions'.
Carey animated initial scenes featuring the main characters, Prue and Mac, cycling around Portland, a parallel to his own newness to the city. He also animated sequences of a character named Brendan riding a large Clydesdale horse, describing the immersive set and lighting as making him feel 'genuinely like being in a woodland'.
He also contributed to a digital cover for Empire Magazine in the summer of 2024, conceptualised as Coraline passing the baton to Prue. The cover featured Prue's character design reveal.
Recently, Carey represented Wildwood at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), sharing the film with audiences and participating in a panel. He described the experience, including attending BAFTA and Oscar parties, as 'completely surreal'.
Looking ahead, Carey will attend the Manchester Animation Festival and participate in an exhibition and panel talk for Wildwood at the Design Museum in London. He is also returning to AUB on 28 October to work with Level 5 stop motion animators.
He plans to share insights on the importance of nurturing one's network within the 'tight-knit community' of stop motion. His advice for aspiring animators is to 'just start doing it', emphasising that stop motion is fundamentally simple, accessible, and fun, regardless of the setup's sophistication.
