Trent Correy

Character Animator, Walt Disney Studios
Animation – Class of 2009

It would be tough for any animator to top Trent Correy’s career highlight: Within eight years of graduating from Algonquin College’s Animation program, his team received an Academy Award for their work on Frozen, the top-grossing animated film of all time. He also won an Oscar for Big Hero Six and recently for his work on Zootopia.

His success, however, has been anything but accidental. From his second year onward at Algonquin, Correy applied annually to the Disney Talent Development Program—a six-month internship available to animation graduates worldwide. He was rejected his first six applications.

Each time he sought out opportunities to further develop his animation skills or acquire new competencies. Possessing both skillsets gave him a leg up in the business and helped him win a job as character animator on the Sony film, The Smurfs.

“The year I got into the Disney program was the last year I was eligible to apply,” Correy recalls.

Correy was one of four animators accepted into the Disney Talent Development Program—of 1,300 applicants worldwide. He trained for six months under a seasoned mentor in the company, and at the end was one of just two kept on for full-time work.