Digital production still of Blu, Jewell and Rafael from “Rio.” TM & ©2011 Twentieth Century Fox Films Corporation. All rights reserved.

Thomas Cardone, the art director behind the recent blockbuster animated film “Rio,” will present a talk at Norman Rockwell Museum on Thursday, July 14, starting at 5:30 p.m. Mr. Cardone, whose credits include “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” will talk about what it takes to create the overall look and feel for animated films. In addition to his work for Blue Sky Studios, Cardone creates traditional paintings, and will talk about how the timeless art of craftsmanship and storytelling remains important in this modern, digital age. The evening talk is presented as part of the Museum’s “Blue Sky & Beyond” summer program series, held in conjunction with its new exhibition “‘Ice Age’ to the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios.” The event is free for Museum members, or with regular Museum admission.

Upcoming “Blue Sky & Beyond” Events:

The Art of Animation:
Behind the Scenes of Blue Sky Studios
Thursday, July 21, 5:30 p.m.

Movie Night!
Screening Under the Stars: “Robots”
Thursday, July 28, 5:30 p.m.

Steampunk Night!
Thursday, August 4, 5:30 p.m.

The Berkshires! Filmmaking & Special Effects in Our Backyard
Thursday, August 11, 5:30 p.m.

Lights, Camera, Action! Lighting Design for Animated Films
Thursday, August 18, 5:30 p.m.

Movie Night!
Screening Under the Stars: “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”
Thursday, August 25, 5:30 p.m.

“‘Ice Age’ to the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios”
On view June 11 through October 31, 2011

Go “behind the scenes” with a look at the world of digital animation with the artists of Blue Sky Studios, creators of the blockbuster films “Ice Age” (and its popular sequels), “Robots,” and the recently released hit, “Rio.”

This first-ever exhibition brings art and technology together to explore how visual concepts are transformed into believable worlds for the big screen. Rarely-seen original character drawings, storyboards, and background paintings reflect the conceptual process, and a recreated sculpture studio will bring you face-to-face with Blue Sky’s amazing sculptural maquettes. Interactive stations reveal how today’s stunning computer generated imagery is built, from initial concept to finished frame.

Blue Sky Studios is the Academy Award©-winning, feature CG animation studio behind the wildly successful Ice Age franchise. Using their propriety rendering software, CGI Studio©, Blue Sky creates photo-realistic, high-resolution, computer-generated character animation and rendering to create timeless stories for children of all ages. Blue Sky is the studio behind “Ice Age” (2002), “Robots” (2005), “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006), “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” (2008), “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (2009) and “Rio” (2011). Blue Sky Studios is wholly owned by Twentieth Century Fox.

“‘Ice Age’ to the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios” is sponsored, in part, by Greylock Federal Credit Union, Wacom Technology Corporation, Pixologic, Inc., and Time Warner’s “Connect A Million Minds.”