Pasadena Convention Center
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Bret Marnell (He/Him)

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Currently editing Oh, the Places You’ll Go for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Bret Marnell, ACE, is a graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, Bret worked his way up from assistant to lead editor in live-action cutting rooms before transitioning over to animated features. Having worked on Academy Award and Annie Award nominated films at Disney, Paramount, Dreamworks, Warner Bros., Cartoon Network, and Sony, Bret has found a great love for the editing process of making animated feature films where there is no finite set to the list of editorial possibilities. Major projects that Bret has worked on include Ralph Bakshi's Cool World, Ultraman: Rising, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Trolls, Abominable, and Smurfs: The Lost Village.

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Movie Magic: Editing for Animated Films

Room 211 | ASIFA-Hollywood | Jennifer Jew | Nathan Schauf | James Ryan ACE | Bret Marnell | Darren Holmes, ACE | Nathan Schauf ACE

In animation, the edit is the movie. Long before final frames are rendered, editors shape story, timing, and emotion using storyboards, animatics, and scratch dialogue—working closely with directors to build the film from the ground up.

But how do you cut a scene that doesn’t exist yet? And how can understanding editorial make you a stronger, more hirable artist?

Tailored for LightBox Expo’s community of aspiring and professional animators, this panel explores how animated films are crafted in the edit—how sequences evolve, how decisions impact the entire pipeline, and what skills studios are looking for today.

Featuring Bret Marnell, ACE (Ultraman: Rising, Smurfs: The Lost Village), along with editors from Netflix, Disney, and Pixar.

Skill Level: General Audience

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