Larry Cuba
- Director
- Visual Effects
- Animation Department
Larry Cuba is a computer-animation artist and considered a pioneer in his field. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the Washington University in St. Louis and a Master's Degree from the California Institute of the Arts. He was taught in the art of animation by Jules Engel.
As a college student in the 1970s, Cuba became interested in the then-emerging field of computer graphics. Art schools did not yet teach the subject, so Cuba had to improvise. He requested and received access to the mainframe computers of the Jet Propulsion Lab, a project developed by NASA. He used the access to create a computer-animated short film called ''First Fig'' (1974).
In 1975, John Whitney, Sr. a more experienced animator, asked Cuba to contribute art for one of his films. The result of their collaboration was called ''Arabesque''. Cuba then produced three more early computer-animated short films: ''3/78 (Objects and Transformations)'', ''Two Space'', and ''Calculated Movements''. His works were mainly displayed on international film festivals.
Cuba's personal works were examples of abstract animation, which in this case was created from algorithms written in computer language. In the late 1970s, Cuba was hired to provide computer graphics for an upcoming feature film called ''Star War'' (1977). His work is mainly seen in a single scene, where an animation of the Death Star is displayed to the pilots of the Rebel Alliance.
As a college student in the 1970s, Cuba became interested in the then-emerging field of computer graphics. Art schools did not yet teach the subject, so Cuba had to improvise. He requested and received access to the mainframe computers of the Jet Propulsion Lab, a project developed by NASA. He used the access to create a computer-animated short film called ''First Fig'' (1974).
In 1975, John Whitney, Sr. a more experienced animator, asked Cuba to contribute art for one of his films. The result of their collaboration was called ''Arabesque''. Cuba then produced three more early computer-animated short films: ''3/78 (Objects and Transformations)'', ''Two Space'', and ''Calculated Movements''. His works were mainly displayed on international film festivals.
Cuba's personal works were examples of abstract animation, which in this case was created from algorithms written in computer language. In the late 1970s, Cuba was hired to provide computer graphics for an upcoming feature film called ''Star War'' (1977). His work is mainly seen in a single scene, where an animation of the Death Star is displayed to the pilots of the Rebel Alliance.