Field Notes: The Media School Travel Blog

Titmouse’s headquarters in New York City is a cozy, single-floor office occupied by hardworking artists, animators and designers. From a distance, the floor is warm, quiet and still, but as we walked further into the office, magnificent colors were shown through the work presented by the creators.

Titmouse, the animator of popular shows such as Disney XD’s “Motor City” and Netflix’s “Big Mouth,” is a full-service animation company that has animated video game sequences, children’s shows, movies and more for nearly 20 years.

A colorful and rather disheveled swordfish decorated the wall behind the reception desk — a quirky and fun preview of Titmouse’s working halls. Doors around the floor were decorated with signs in homage to the popular “Dungeons and Dragons,” a favorite of the producers. After a quick introduction from Karla Palacios, one of Titmouse’s production assistants, we entered the office.

Snippets of inspiration flashed around large Wacom tablets, magazine clippings, figurines and glossy art prints. Art from shows such as “Sailor Moon” and “Dragon Ball” decorated the walls. A character designer proudly showed off her collection of figurines and artwork from “The Simpsons,” her main inspiration for joining the world of animation and design.

Working with a new, unreleased show, she focused on props, and her partner across the table worked on character design. Together, the two will tackle the work little by little until the show is ready to be released.

Along with character design, we discovered the beauty of storyboarding and landscape design, and the art of animation as well. While most artists work independently, Titmouse is a wonderfully collaborative community.

The creators can admire their finished work for just a moment; then it’s off to the next piece, ready to be met with the same love and attention as the piece before. Upcoming shows such as “The Legends of Vox Machina,” based on the web series “Critical Role,” are slowly moving their way toward production.

It was a humbling experience to see the production site of old and beloved television shows and movies, and especially to witness the creation of shows that are yet to be released. Thanks to Titmouse’s open and friendly atmosphere, I look forward to seeing the next wave of IU graduates bring their own artistic talent to the big screens in the future.