As a child, Syracuse native Brock Boyts had living, breathing toys — or at least he was convinced he did. Making believe his Ninja Turtles and Star Wars figures were real, Boyts would try to catch his toys moving when he left the room — a task he admits “didn’t work out so well.” Though many may have tried to convinced the young, imaginative boy that toys could not actually come to life, the release of Pixar’s “Toy Story” left Boyts vindicated. Sitting in the Syracuse Pickwick Theater, the 11-year-old’s dreams of a magical world where his toys could move, talk and interact was brought to life.

At age 31, Boyts’s imagination has not slowed down in the least. Instead, he has funneled his passion and creativity into a career in animation. A career that has led him to recently join up with Blue Sky Productions where he has done animation work for both the upcoming “The Peanuts Movie” as well as “Ice Age 5: Collision Course.”

Brock and wife Nellie stand with their two children at Blue Sky Productions.
(Photos provided)

Boyts’s journey into the animation field began, as many careers do, with a pursuit of education. After graduating from Wawasee School Corporation, Boyts attended Olivet Nazarene University. However, his stint at Olivet was cut short when he was offered a position as a motion graphic designer at America’s Most Wanted. Moving to Washington D.C., Boyts enrolled at The Corcoran College of Art and Design to work on the show as well as attain his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in digital media.

In a stroke of luck and fate, Boyts embarked on a new journey alongside his career: family man. Meeting his wife Nellie at a graduation party, the two fell in love and began to strive to conquer Boyts’s dream to become a character animator together. Enrolling in the Union Pacific Railway Contest, the two created a spot with music created by Nellie and animation by Boyts. Seeking votes to win the contest, Boyts called upon his hometown for assistance — a feat he and Nellie both ultimately accomplished.

The funds Boyts won from the contest continued to fuel his endeavors. Boyts had done numerous jobs as a graphics animator for big names such as the NFL, the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars,” Disney’s “Star Wars XD,” Nick Jr., the “Furious 6” opening credits, Sonic and Starbucks. Though he was finding success with his company Brockoli, Boyts felt something was missing — character animation.

Setting his sights on joining animation companies such as Disney and Pixar, Boyts utilized his contest funds to enroll in Animation Mentor where he made connections that would change his life. After having a positive experience at Animation Mentor, Boyts was brought on as a temp to work on Blue Sky’s “The Peanuts Movie.” His efforts paid off with a further character animation role on the 2016 release of “Ice Age Collision Course.”

Boyts admits he is having a blast working for Blue Sky. Utilizing his strong creative strengths, Boyts is blending his love for character animation with a love of theater. After being given a shot, Boyts brainstorms ideas, acts them out and presents a final project to his supervisors and director(s). He notes scenes can vary from a character “turning around” to a scene with more drama and action. No matter what task given, Boyts states he attempts to bring enthusiasm to his work.

After finally reaching his dreams Boyts is setting his goals on maintaining his position and being a great dad and role model to his daughter and newborn son. He encourages those interested in animation to begin drawing immediately and constantly. He also advises hopeful animators to find a mentor and learn 3D animation software.

You can see examples of Boyts’s character animation work here and freelance portfolio here, or on the big screen with the upcoming November release of “The Peanuts Movie.”