Since Robert was a child, he spent time creating 2D characters and drawing flip books in school. He absolutely loved animation and was inspired by all the 2D Disney Cartoons- Goofy, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse. It wasn’t until he attended Ex’pression that he learned about the 9 Old Men who created those beloved animations for Disney; Les Clark, Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman, and Frank Thomas. When Pixar’s Toy Story brought the world of animation full force into the computer 3D realm, Lazzarini knew this was what he wanted to do with his life. Before attending Ex’pression, Robert had tried out some 3D animation techniques, but had no idea about concepting, rigging, texturing, or a production pipeline; all skills that would prove to be useful in his first project after graduation.

“Understanding the pipeline allowed me to jump in and communicate more efficiently to the technical directing team and other departments. Because of my experience at Ex’pression, I understood where my shot would go.”

Last fall, Robert was a part of a talented team of artists who created the CG imagery for episode 2 on the NOVA series Becoming Human. The shows aired on PBS on November 3rd, 10th, and 17th of 2009. The team used all disciplines of computer graphics to create many of the stunning visuals, including motion capture, rigging, compositing, and key frame animation, to deliver the realism that the clients demanded. Robert and his team also created the matte paintings and compositing for most of the shots on episode 2. “While I was at People’s Republic of Animation, I started on the NOVA project by doing weight-painting in Maya and ended up being the Director of Animation. Understanding the pipeline allowed me to jump in and communicate more efficiently to the technical directing team and other departments. Because of my experience at Ex’pression, I understood where my shot would go.”

Stills from NOVA’s “Becoming Human” to which Robert contributed his talents.

Lazzarini recently worked part-time for Apple Computer and is currently working on a short film thriller with fellow Ex’pression graduates called, “Out Of Focus.” He’s also refining his animation skills online through Animation Mentor with Anthony Wong, Senior Animator at Pixar. You can see Robert’s current showreel on his website: lazzanimation.com

Robert can be contacted via e-mail at: