Ackerman Computer

Admin | November 23, 2011 | Comments Off

Ackerman Computer

Ackerman Computer

The stress level was intense for Carlos Saldanha, director of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and his creative team as they created Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. In a recent telephone interview from sunny California, Saldanha reflects not only on the journey of the beloved Ice Age characters, but on his own journey into animation and 3D animation as well.

Born in Brazil, Saldanha developed a passion for art at a very young age. He was a smart lad, ready to go to college at the tender age of 16. However, his parents guided him away from following his artistic tendencies, feeling as if attending art school wouldn’t help him develop a solid career. This wasn’t too much of a problem for Saldanha since he also enjoyed working with computers. He went on to pursue a more technological career.

From Ice Age to Dawn of the Dinosaurs

After a few years in the computer industry, Saldanha discovered that something was missing. He lacked a creative outlet. Not wanting to let go of computers, Saldanha looked around and eventually discovered that he could merge art and computers in animation. Excited, he decided to take a huge leap and move to the United States to earn his masters degree in animation.

Less than a decade later, Saldanha proved his talent to the world in popular films such as Fight Club, Robots and the ever-popular Ice Age series from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and was nominated for both Annie and Oscar awards. As Dawn of the Dinosaurs captured viewers’ hearts, Saldanha relaxed a bit. He and his team broke the third film curse. The first Ice Age film to come out in 3D animation format, Dawn of the Dinosaurs took the world by storm becoming a $800 million worldwide blockbuster.

Working With 3D Animation in Ice Age 3