Talking to Max Howard is the same for opening a treasure of stories from the world of animation. Major studios like Disney, Warner Brothers, and Dreamworks are known for extensive work in leadership positions, Max has also contributed to prestigious films like who Framed Roger Rabbit, the little Mermaid, beauty and the Beast, Aladdin And Lion king.
He was recently at RV University, Bangalore, where he was providing students a masterclass to dissect cinematic masterpiece and get a deep understanding of the craft of making a film.
Born and brought in London, Max is also a fond Chawla cricket lover and tells me, “If you spend enough time with me, it will not happen long ago when I start talking about cricket,” which is sad that the tick’s watch did not let us indulge.
Max has not described its entry into filmmaking. “I lie in the theater; as a child actor I spent a lot of time on film sets. This resulted in a magnificent, practical education.”
Even after leaving school, Max continued as a stage manager, producer and director in the world of the theater, working with some great British playwrights such as Noel Cares, Herold Pinter and John Osborne.
Max’s first project was prestigious who Framed Roger Rabbit. Shot on OnePlus #Framesofindia | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar’s
Around that time, Max received a call from Peter Schidder, one of his theater pulse, which was “hired to run the Animation Department in Disney, which was being strengthened again.”
Behind curtain
Max’s first project was prestigious who Framed Roger Rabbit. “PeterAsked me if I was interested in working on this special film in London. They were looking for someone to run the studio, and put the entire package together. I found myself in an interview for a job, about which I knew very little. ,
“I was excited back that unlike the theater, where you are working as long as someone is buying a ticket, here I was guaranteed employment and a lot of money was being given.”
Max says that his extensive knowledge of being in the theater makes him stand well while working on films. “The one who ends on the screen is a ready -made article that tells a story, and I realized that although the journey to complete the story was a separate process, the objective was the same. All subjects got within theater and live action filmmaking within the production, also exist in animation.”
Initially, Max joined Disney in London when he plans to make more animated films.
He was later blown in Florida. “I opened a small studio within the Walt Disney World; we had the opportunity to do some extraordinary work, and also helped many young artists who were hired directly from school, many of which became successful animator or director.”
the release of Roger rabit Change things for Disney. “With such films little Mermaid, beauty and the Beast And AladdinDisney found big names like Howard Ashman and Allen Menken on board.
Shifting sand
Another significant change came when Jeffrey Katzenberg, president of Walt Disney Studios, wanted to make Dreamworks and Warner Brothers their animation department.
“When I was headless, I went to Warner Brothers from Disney, and we made space Jam, Iron legend And Search for the Camalot.
Pixar and CGI replaced the entire ballgame for animation, Max is called. “Initially, the public did not have the same relationship with the CGI as he felt for hand -prepared films. The other studios had chosen for CGI and films. Ice Edge, Despicable Me Successful, we realized that the public was no longer going to see a film based on the banner of a studio, but because of its story. ,
Local travel for smaller people with large, expensive set-ups, Max says, “We have boutique studios or producers Flow Which won the 2025 Oscars for the best animated feature film, where he used an open source software. ,
Today, most award-winning films “originate independently and not from a studio system. We have seen animation growing in a proper industry from a Disney-controlled topical film.”
When he joined as a member of the academy, the Max Sauce was 5,000 members, mostly by white people. We took a stance that we need to be more diverse, and now we are more than 9,000 members and now we represent a lot of internationally, which is also reflected in voting. ,
closer to home
As someone has worked in cultures, Max is hopeful about the Indian animation industry, but believes it still has to go a long way. “Indian film industry is extraordinary, but it only travels to some extent. If you want to tell a story that reaches the global audience, do not lose your culture. The trick is to tell a story in a structure that can travel beyond your country’s coast.”
Animation, Max says that it is not only for children. This is a great opportunity to tell important stories. ,
It is now being used to spread awareness on health and social issues, Max says. “Unlike live-action, animation can break through the prejudice of time and location.” It appeals to all. If you look at Meena’s character made for a UNICEF cartoon, it allowed women to be more clearly identified. ,
Published – March 28, 2025 10:44 AM IST
