Exclusive: Producer Courtney Casper Kent and director Louis Gonzales talk Pixar SparkShorts Nona
Coming out on Disney+ on Sept. 17 is producer Courtney Casper Kent and director Louis Gonzales’ animated short film NONA which is part of the SparkShorts program that is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows.
Pixar Animation Studios introduces Nona, a grandmother who plans to spend her day off by shutting out the world to watch her favorite TV show, “E.W.W. Smashdown Wrestling.” However, when her 5-year-old granddaughter Renee is unexpectedly dropped off, Nona is caught between her two favorite things. Renee wants to play while the normally-doting Nona wrestles with wanting to watch the Smashdown, leading to a decisive showdown between the two, and a loving compromise. Produced by Courtney Casper Kent, “Nona” launches on Disney+ on Sept. 17, 2021.
According to Gonzales, Nona is based largely on his own grandmother. “At the same time,” he says, “Nona is a combination of all of the strong women I looked up to growing up.”
For Courtney Casper Kent, this is her first film as a producer. She had previously worked as a graphics designer, animation manager, animation fix coordinator, sets manager and other roles on several Disney animated films such as Up, Cars, Brave, Finding Dory, Onward, and Coco. For Louise Gonzales, it’s his directorial debut. He had previously worked as a story artist on films such as The Iron Giant, Monsters, Brave, Monsters University, and Incredibles 2.
BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales caught up with Kent and Gonzales as they spoke about their involvement with Nona.
