Lakeland grad contributes talents to Disney success

The animated film "Inside Out 2" has become Pixar's highest-grossing movie of all time, recently passing the $1.25 billion mark globally after being released in June.

Lakeland High School graduate Ryan Heuett had a hand in that success.

“We actually have to roughly animate the characters and position them, and then we film them with the camera,” Heuett said in a Friday morning phone interview.

"No one has seen the set and the character and the camera in a shot to react to until we do our job," he said. "We’re basically the first phase of production."

Heuett, who graduated from the Rathdrum high school in 1996, worked as the layout supervisor on "Inside Out 2." His 10th anniversary with Pixar, which is based in Emeryville, Calif., will be this fall. Next year he will celebrate his 20th anniversary working for Disney.

With the success of "Inside Out 2," Heuett and his world-building team have much to celebrate.

“We are so excited," he said. "We are so proud of this film."

"Inside Out 2" is the sequel to 2015's "Inside Out," the storyline of which revolves around the main 'tween character Riley and the personified emotions in her mind: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear, voiced by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader, respectively.

In "Inside Out 2," protagonist Riley has grown into a teenager, which means new emotions. Poehler, Smith and Black return as Joy, Sadness and Anger, while Tony Hale voices Fear and Liza Lapira voices Disgust and new emotion Anxiety is voiced by Maya Hawke and Ayo Edebiri is the voice of new emotion Envy.

"It's like the first film; it’s very relatable," Heuett said. "A lot of friends and family use it as a communication device with their kids."

He said he loves how it’s something to help people better understand their emotions at work.

“They just want to help us, even though we might think at the time they’re not helping us," he said with a laugh. "But yeah, we’re so proud of this film and blown away by how well it’s doing.”

It took some time for Heuett to reach this level of success. After he graduated from high school, he studied business at North Idaho College before embarking on the difficult path to stardom. He saved up to attend Collins College School of Design, where he jumped into the school's new computer animation program.

"It was right next to Arizona State, so I lived on Arizona State’s campus," he said, adding that he received his associate degree from Collins College.

He didn't find his desired work for four years after graduating, but it wound up being worth the wait. His first professional job was working for George Lucas.

“I was really nervous," he said. "In our industry, you need a demo reel, which shows your skills, and my problem is I liked everything; I liked to do all the facets of filmmaking and it was hard to find that niche. When I finally got my first job, it was on ‘Star Wars: Episode III.’”

He found himself on Skywalker Ranch in the scenic hills of northern California.

"That place was magical," Heuett said. "I was like, ‘How did I end up here?’ I went from Tempe, Ariz., to working up there at Skywalker Ranch."

He said the ranch Lucas built was a creative place to work.

"I worked in the main house where he worked," Heuett said. "His office was on the second floor, and we worked on the third floor in the art department, so to me, yeah, it was very magical.”

He said Pixar also has an amazing campus, "which is just mind-blowing."

"It's just a really fun and creative space to do our jobs," Heuett said.

With family spread across the Northwest, Heuett said he tries to make it back to North Idaho when he can. He stays connected to his Gem State roots by incorporating "Idaho" into his various work logins and emails.

"I definitely have very fond memories of growing up there,” he said.

He said if young people growing up in North Idaho are passionate about something, they should pursue that passion.

“Follow your dreams," Heuett said. "If something’s in your heart, and you’re just like, ‘I want to go after this ...’ I did it. I had to get to the right point in my life where I took it seriously and saved money.

“Once you’re trying to follow your dream, your life will throw things at you that are going to make you want to quit," he continued. "I got a job after I graduated, I was teaching 3D animation, but it wasn’t in the movie business and I was about ready to give up as well, and finally, I kept at it and I got my break."

He said he has worked with many friends who also faced challenging paths. He considers those challenges to be life's way of testing one's dedication, especially in the movie industry.

"It’s not just something that you can clock in 9-5 and don’t think about it," Heuett said. "It’s a creative profession, and we’re always trying to make films. That separates the people that think they might want to do it versus the ones that are passionate."

He reiterated the importance of following one's dreams.

"Ignore the naysayers along the way," Heuett said. "You can do it. That’s my biggest message. And the ones that do support you, make sure you thank them along the way because it does help."

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    Joy, Anger, Disgust, Envy and Anxiety are seen in this scene from Pixar's "Inside Out 2." A 1996 Lakeland High School graduate, Ryan Heuett, worked as the layout supervisor for the film. He and his crew were responsible for the first phase of production for each scene.