Tim Burton will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award as will, posthumously, the late Stan Winston at LightBox Expo this October, anchoring what organizers and participants describe as a critical moment for entertainment artists to demonstrate their relevance in an increasingly fractured cultural landscape.
“LightBox Expo is a time to celebrate the creators, visionaries, and storytellers who ensure that dreams and magic exist in the world. It is a reminder that we are a community brought together by our shared passion to create, to ignite joy, to bring hope, and today we are needed more than ever,” said Maggie Kang, co-director and creator of KPop Demon Hunters, articulating a sentiment that threads through the seventh annual gathering of animation, illustration, and visual effects professionals scheduled for October 24-26 at the Pasadena Convention Center.
The three-day event has evolved into what organizers call “the only place” where audiences can access behind-the-scenes perspectives on franchises including Lord of the Rings, Alien, Wicked, Star Wars, Wednesday, DOOM, and A Goofy Movie — a claim supported by the participation of Disney Television Animation, ILM, Lucasfilm Animation, Pixar, 20th Television Animation, Walt Disney Imagineering, Netflix Animation, Laika, Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks, Skydance Animation, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, and Titmouse.
The Burton and Winston honors, presented in annual partnership with the Concept Art Association during Saturday night’s Concept Art Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, recognize careers that defined contemporary visual storytelling. The ceremony is open to all badge holders.
Disney veterans Ron Clements and John Musker, whose collaborations include The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), and Moana (2016), will present “The Art of Storytelling” with Pietro Schito moderating, while panels examine the 20th anniversary of Corpse Bride, the 25th anniversary of The Emperor’s New Groove, and the 30th anniversary of A Goofy Movie.
“This year we are honored to host so many incredibly talented artists, directors, creators and visionaries who are sharing the unique stories and processes behind our favorite films, animation, games, TV shows and illustrations. We hope each attendee leaves feeling inspired, empowered and a bit smarter, too,” said Bobby Chiu, LightBox Expo co-creator and character designer for Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.
The programming spans over 200 hours and includes a Friday evening sing-along screening of KPop Demon Hunters with Q&A, panels on Wicked’s costume design revealing how pieces reflect character evolution, and production insights from Wednesday Season Two and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season Two. Additional “Art of” panels include The Art of Doom: The Dark Ages, The Art of Star Wars, The Art of Alien: Romulus, and A Journey Through the Art of The Cat In the Hat. The complete content schedule is available at https://lightboxexpo.com/
Participating artists include John Musker, Ron Clements, Chris Appelhans and Michelle Wong from KPop Demon Hunters, Alex Woo, Nicky Lavender and Sacha Kapijimpanga from Netflix Animation’s In Your Dreams, Fede Álvarez (Alien: Romulus), Kevin Lima and Jymn Magon (A Goofy Movie), Angela Sung (Bad Guys), Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall), SamDoesArts, Jorge R. Gutierrez (El Guapo vs. The Narco Vampires), and Meg Park, Limei Hshieh and Griselda Sastrawinata from Zootopia 2.
The Walt Disney Family of Companies will host 12 panels, including “Tails Behind the Art of Zootopia 2,” “Designing and Animating Graphics for Pixar’s Elio,” and “Phineas and Ferb — The Evolution of Writing a Hit Comedy Series.” ILM celebrates its 50th year while Lucasfilm Animation marks 20 years, both offering spotlight panels.
Career development programming runs all three days. October 24 features Walt Disney Imagineers sharing career paths in “Journeys to Walt Disney Imagineering.” October 25 includes Pixar department heads offering strategies in “I’m Hired! What’s Next?” and Hillary Bradfield from Walt Disney Animation Studios presenting “The Winding Road to Story.” October 26 brings “Meet the Disney Recruiters” with team members from multiple Disney divisions.
Portfolio reviews and one-on-one interactions with more than 30 companies, schools, and studios offer professional development opportunities alongside what organizers call “the coolest artist alley on the planet.” New sponsors include Ravensburger, Webtoon, Animation Mentor, XP-Pen, CalArts Extended Studies, and Clip Studio Paint, joining returning sponsors.
“Thankful for our returning sponsors, universities and studios who bring their best artists and come seeking new talent, we are excited to welcome new sponsors including Ravensburger, Webtoon, Animation Mentor, XP-Pen, CalArts Extended Studies and Clip Studio Paint. LightBox wouldn’t be possible without the community and we’re excited to see artists gather in and around the Convention Center for a weekend of community building, artistry and more,” said Jim Demonakos, LightBox Expo co-creator, event organizer, and filmmaker.
Community events include Sketch Crawl, hosted by story artist Nick Sung and director Dave Pimental, inviting artists to dust off their sketchbooks for a casual, public gathering. A new plein air event, “Paint the Scene,” takes place Friday morning at the Pasadena Convention Center with Angela Sung and Warrior Painters alongside mentors Michelle Lin, Sean Bodley, Jennifer Wang, Qianjiao Ma, and Jeff Hong.
Friday at 9 p.m., the Civic Auditorium hosts the best of Animayo International Film Festival of Animation. Founded by filmmaker Damián Perea, Animayo is the first and only Spanish “Qualifying Festival” for the Academy Awards in two categories: International Animated Short Film and Best Short in Spanish. The festival has generated four short film nominations, including one in the short list and one Oscar winner.
Saturday evening features “Best Animated Shorts” of the 2025-2026 awards season, handpicked by The Animation Showcase. This screening showcases shorts that have collectively earned over 32 Academy Award nominations and nine Oscar wins, previously shown at top animation studios before coming to LightBox Expo.
Created by Chiu and Demonakos, who describes it as “for artists and by artists,” LightBox Expo positions itself as a convergence point for creatives in animation, live-action, illustration, and video games, emphasizing connection and craft celebration alongside professional development.
The official LightBox Expo mobile app provides programming updates and announcements for attendees navigating the three-day schedule at the Pasadena Convention Center.
Tickets and information: lightboxexpo.com and showclix.com/tickets/
