LightBox Expo Reveals Epic Schedule of Disney-Focused Panels for 2025
The return of Walt Disney Imagineering, more Disney Lorcana, and a Zootopia 2 panel cap off the exciting lineup.
The full schedule of panels for LightBox Expo 2025 has been revealed, with presentations from Disney Television Animation, ILM, Lucasfilm Animation, Pixar, 20th Television Animation, and Walt Disney Imagineering.
Disney at LightBox Expo 2025:
- LightBox Expo returns to the Pasadena Convention Center next month, running from October 24th to 26th.
- The entertainment and art industry event just released its full schedule for this year, including many panels from The Walt Disney Company.
- The following Disney-focused panels are scheduled during the event:
- Designing and Animating Graphics for Pixar’s Elio: Hear from Elio’s Graphics Art Director Kyle Jones on what goes into building a world (and Communiverse) full of graphics for a feature film. From designing alien languages and crop circles to Air Force Badges, Bedroom UFO posters, End Credits and all the Easter eggs in between.
- Going Out of Style with 20th Television Animation: Have you ever wondered what aspects of design, acting, and cinematography are used to evoke something recognizable while maintaining a show’s unique voice? Join Brent Crowe, Peter Shin, and Greg Colton for a discussion with Family Guy about adapting their established characters and worlds into other animation styles to tell a different kind of joke.
- Journeys to Walt Disney Imagineering: Concept Design Lead, Principal VFX Designer, Concept Design Studio Manager, and Executive Producer Imagineers share their personal career paths.
- Tails Behind the Art of Zootopia 2: Join visual development artists from Disney Animation Limei Hshieh, Meg Park, and Griselda Sastrawinata as they venture back into the animal metropolis of Zootopia, explore new environments, and meet new characters.
- Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game – Creating Character Art: Ravensburger presents an illuminating discussion on what it takes to create character art for Disney Lorcana TCG. Join a panel of Art Directors and Illustrators (Matthew Eng, Shane Hartley, Samanta Erdini, Max Ulichney, Liz Richards) as they discuss the freelance creative process from initial concepts to final renderings and share a glimpse of the storytelling potential created in this ever-evolving game.
- Craft, Creativity, and Career at The Walt Disney Company: Join for this unique opportunity to hear from established creative leaders across Disney! Speakers from a variety of production roles share their journey in the animation industry, approaches to their craft within each studio's distinct production pipeline and look towards the future in discussing skills and best practices that enable innovation.
- Big City Greens Presents: Story & Comedy: Every stage of a production opens new opportunities to polish stories and punch up jokes. Join the folks behind Disney Television Animation's hit series Big City Greens as they share how stories and jokes evolve and improve at every stage of production.
- I’m Hired! What’s Next?: Join Pixar's Department Heads (Sally Garbarini, Nancy Howard, Isabel Conde-Maki, Colin Bohrer) for a lively discussion on how to stand out and succeed in your new role. Learn the best strategies for making an impact and building a successful career from day one.
- The Winding Road to Story: Enjoy this session of storytelling with Walt Disney Animation Studios' Hillary Bradfield. Hillary will take us on a creative exploration of her professional journey, her approach to Story, and share how we approach the art of storytelling at Disney Animation.
- Spotlight : Lucasfilm Animation & ILM Feature Animation: Please join us for a special panel discussion featuring key creatives from Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light & Magic Feature Animation, along with members of our Talent Acquisition team. During this session, you will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from our talented team about their diverse career paths and insights into the industry, and learn more about our creative business.
- Ron Clements & John Musker: The Art of Story Masterclass: Discover the storytelling secrets behind Disney classics like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana, taught by the legendary duo who created them —Ron Clements and John Musker. In this rare masterclass, they’ll reveal how they craft compelling characters, build emotional arcs, and transform ideas into timeless stories. Whether you’re a writer, artist, or animator, gain clear, practical insights directly from two Disney legends. Presented by Write for Animation. Hosted by writer-producer Pietro Schito.
- Phineas & Ferb: The Evolution of Writing a Hit Comedy Series: When Phineas first released in 2007, it was a board driven extravaganza. Now, 18 years later, the show has shifted to be a script-board hybrid. Join Dan Povenmire and the writers of the Phineas and Ferb Revival as they discuss the differences between writing and boarding on the different seasons, as well as a tantalizing look behind the scenes.
- 25th Anniversary of “The Emperor’s New Groove": 25 years ago, a cult classic was born! The people who made “Emperor’s New Groove" are here to talk about the wild behind the scenes production of the movie, share never before seen art and storyboards, and talk about how this troubled production became one of the Disney’s most cherished films! Director Mark Dindal, writer Dave Reynolds, Head of Story Steve Anderson, story artist Jeff Ranjo, character designer Joe Moshier, and Assistant Production Manager Tracey Miller-Zarneke. Moderated by Tom Racine.
- Lucasfilm Art Department – The Art of Star Wars: Join a stellar panel featuring some of the most talented artists behind Star Wars (Benjamin Last, Jama Jurabaev, John Romulo). In this insightful session, these artists will discuss their creative processes, share behind-the-scenes stories, and talk about what it was like to bring the epic world of Star Wars to life. From conceptual design to final production, gain an insider's perspective on what it takes to craft the iconic visuals of this beloved franchise.
- A Goofy Movie: From Script to Storyreels: Celebrate the 30th anniversary of A Goofy Movie with the film’s director, Kevin Lima as he leads a discussion with Jymn Magon (the film’s first writer), Brian Pimental (head of story, writer) and a klatch of story artists who worked on the film. Go on a behind the scenes road trip from script to storyboards to storyreels, discovering how ideas evolved, characters took shape, and comedic moments found their “perfect" timing. With rare insights and never-before-seen visuals, this panel reveals how a beloved animated classic grew from concept to the heartwarming, hilarious classic we cherish today.
- The Art of Alien Romulus: Go behind the scenes of the hit movie Alien Romulus and learn from the concept artists (Joshua Viers, Matthew Savage, Alex Nice, Fede Alvarez) the process of researching, sketching and designing sets and vehicles for a major motion picture.
- Meet the Disney Recruiters: Looking to make your next career move? Our teams want to help you put your best foot forward with tips on networking, applying, interviewing, and more. Speakers will include recruiting team members from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney Television Animation, ILM, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Pixar. Bring your questions!
- Additional panels with a Disney presence:
- Creating Appealing Art for Ravensburger Toys & Games: Join a panel of Ravensburger Art Directors (Matthew Eng, Shane Hartley, Jake Breish, Julie Vu) as they share the varied freelance opportunities for illustrators to be a part of the art created for puzzles, games, and Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game. They will share insight on the concept development phase and expectations to create compelling artwork that inspires and thrills audiences and fans around the world.
- Drawing Jam For Storyboards: Learn the basics of a successful storyboard drawing. Improve your clarity, speed, and impact by focusing on the elements that are most important. Bring something to draw and run through a few exercises together with me to make our work stronger! MICHAEL DALEY is a storyboard artist at PIXAR, working on many projects from the INCREDIBLES FRANCHISE to LUCA to TURNING RED etc.
- Embracing the Detours: There are few straight lines in the unpredictable career of an artist, and life has a way of throwing us off our planned course. Clients evaporate. Projects get killed. Studios get shut down. Things can feel insurmountable. But could these obstacles actually offer opportunities for creative discovery and growth? Join former Blue Sky Studios veteran Michael Knapp (Robots, Ice Age franchise, Horton, Epic (AD), Spies in Disguise (PD)) and current Vis Dev Artist/Production Design Consultant (20th Century Animation/Disney, WBPA, Annapurna, SPA, Netflix, Bottlecap Productions) as he shares experiences from his 30 year journey shifting from Freelance Illustrator to Visual Development Artist to Art Director and Production Designer on animated feature films and shorts.
- Behind the Magic: Navigating the Development Pipeline: This panel pulls back the curtain on the studio development pipeline, uncovering the steps that turn creative sparks into airing projects. From crafting log lines and outlines to developing pitches and bibles, industry professionals will share their insider knowledge and offer best practices for navigating this complex process. Join Sam King (Disney TV Animation), Alison Agosti (Inside Job), Shofela Coker (Kizazi Moto), Andy Del Rio (Ranger Ozzy), and Pat Stout (Sentinel 6) as they dive into what it takes to thrive in today’s fast-moving animation landscape. Whether you're an aspiring creator or simply fascinated by the magic behind the scenes, this panel is your all-access pass to the journey from concept to screen.
- World Building 101: What is World Building? How to streamline design choices and prioritize ideas ? Drawing from his long experience working on film and TV projects like the Harry Potter franchise, Jupiter Ascending, Matrix: Resurrections, Alien Earth and a diverse range of Marvel projects, Philippe will talk about the process and approach that has worked for him along the years. You'll come away with a better understanding of how to tackle world building assignments, along with some tips and tricks to help you on the way!
- Additional headlining panels include behind the scenes looks at Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters and Universal’s Wicked, plus an anniversary panel for Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.
- At the 7th Annual Concept Art Awards, Tim Burton and Stan Winston will be presented with Lifetime Achievement honors.
- Tickets for the Pasadena event are now on sale.
What They’re Saying:
- Maggie Kang, co-director and creator of KPop Demon Hunters: “LightBox Expo is a time to celebrate the creators, visionaries, and storytellers who ensure that dreams and magic exist in the world. It is a reminder that we are a community brought together by our shared passion to create, to ignite joy, to bring hope, and today we are needed more than ever."
- Bobby Chiu, LightBox Expo co-creator: “This year we are honored to host so many incredibly talented artists, directors, creators and visionaries who are sharing the unique stories and processes behind our favorite films, animation, games, TV shows and illustrations. We hope each attendee leaves feeling inspired, empowered and a bit smarter, too."
- Jim Demonakos, LightBox Expo co-creator: “Thankful for our returning sponsors, universities and studios who bring their best artists and come seeking new talent, we are excited to welcome new sponsors including Ravensburger, Webtoon, Animation Mentor, XP-Pen, CalArts Extended Studies and Clip Studio Paint. LightBox wouldn’t be possible without the community and we’re excited to see artists gather in and around the Convention Center for a weekend of community building, artistry and more."