Alumna's Inspiring Career in Film Animation Began at Lincoln College
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THE OFFICIAL ALUMNI PUBLICATION OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, LINCOLN, ILLINOIS FALL/WINTER 2012 Alumna’s Inspiring renda Chapman-Lima, class of 1982, grew up in BBeason, Ill. After graduating from Lincoln Community High School, she came to Lincoln College where she Career in Film studied art and received the Alta Charles McKeever Prize Animation Began at for art her sophomore year. Today, Brenda is best known for having written and directed “Brave”, the summer 2012 Disney-Pixar hit about Lincoln College a Scottish princess named Merida. Brenda was inspired to write the story because of her own strong-willed daughter. “Brave” is Brenda’s second major directing credit. The first was “Prince of Egypt” (1998), the first major studio animated feature film to be directed by an American woman. Brenda has worked as an artist, writer, and in other capacities on many other films and television shows, including “Chicken Run,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Road to Eldorado,” “The Little Mermaid,” Dennis the Menace,” “The Real Ghost Busters,” to name a few. Her complete filmography can be read on www.imdb.com. Life is extremely busy these days for Brenda, who lives in Mill Valley, Calif., with her husband Kevin Lima and their daughter Emma. Brenda and Kevin have extremely busy schedules, working in the film animation industry and parenting a teenager, but Brenda graciously took a little time to share her story with Kerri Taylor, alumni relations and special events coordinator. continued p.3 Brenda and Emma in Scotland ife brings each of us so many challenges, opportunities, and surprises. My becoming president of Lincoln College has encompassed all of the above. A year ago I was planning for retirement as CEO Experience of COUNTRY Financial and looking forward to a slower pace, a lot of grandparent time with utstanding our six grandchildren, more golf, and some O travel. Starting a third career was the furthest thing from my mind. But as I, along with my fellow trustees on the Lincoln College Board, OUR MISSION OUR VALUES began searching for a new president to replace Lincoln College uniquely our retiring one, it became evident that many of STUDENT-CENTERED the challenges facing our institution were more empowers students to realize business challenges than academic ones. So in TEACHING EXCELLENCE the end of our search we decided that a person their full potential. with a passion for education, a love of Lincoln UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION College, and a strong business background IVERSE COLLEGE COMMUNITY would be a good fit at this juncture. Time will D President’s Column tell if we were correct. Let me assure all of OUR VISION EMPOWERED PEOPLE you, I am not considering failure as an option. “To be a recognized NURTURING ENVIRONMENT What I know well from my leader in first career as a teacher/coach transforming TRANSFORMING LIVES and my second one in financial students’ lives” services is that leadership is STUDENT SUCCESS about creating vision and engaging everyone in its implementation. A leader’s success is determined by the Outstanding accomplishments of everyone OutstandPLACE TO WORKing STUDENT EXPERIENCE OutstandR E S U L T ingS else in the organization. So the Cabinet and I have been working hard to simplify and crystallize our mission, vision, core values, and strategic goals to How can you help? memorable and actionable statements that we believe to be true and that all can embrace. • Share your Lincoln College story with potential students, their parents, and high We have shared them with our outstanding school guidance counselors. faculty, staff, and trustees and now will do the • Let our Admissions Office know of potential recruits we should contact. same with our alumni and friends through this venue. Above is the essence of our long-term • Contributions large or small make a difference. strategic direction which we ask you to support. • Contribution of time, talent, and ideas are also very helpful. We have also set some short-term goals to • Come to campus and/or alumni events—we want to see you, hear how your life is position us for the future, which definitely going, and get your input. can only be achieved by hard work and strong alumni involvement. They are in order: • Encourage other alums to support Lincoln College. Stabilize Enrollment (Number and Quality) In my short time at Lincoln College I believe Increase Contributions (Money, time, and I understand our challenges and issues. The talent) good news is, with your help, there are none Reduce Debt (A function of accomplishing that cannot be addressed and fixed. the first two goals) Thanks for the opportunity and honor to be your president. 2 Alumna’s inspiring career continued from p.1 (KT = Kerri Taylor; BC = Brenda Chapman) father’s name was Beason. Silas Beason was the founder of my hometown of Beason. But unfortunately, I had KT: What are your favorite memories to cut those characters very early of your Lincoln College days? on, because they just didn’t fit in the mother/daughter story. But I always BC: I remember getting the assignment had the mother and daughter…and I to take Life Drawing while watching the remembered Merida Drake and Elinor Brenda, Emma and Kevin at the dance class. Mr. Zurkammer made me sign Keyes, two wonderful ladies I went to 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival up for dance to be allowed in the room. church with in Beason. Because I was The dancers were quite the show-offs and setting my story in Scotland (a homage wanted the drawings I did of them… to part of my ancestry), I thought their leaving me with very little left for my names would work well in the story. I portfolio! was so pleased when they agreed to let me use them. I always thought their I met one of my best friends my first day of art class. I assumed she was from names were so beautiful. Chicago, and she assumed the same of me. When she asked me about where I lived, I KT: Now that “Brave” has hit said, “Oh, you’ve never heard of it…it’s a theaters and is a big hit, what are tiny little local town.” Then when I finally you doing with your time? told her that I was from Beason, she said, BC: I am consulting for an animated “I’m from Waynesville!” There were more film at LucasFilm until next May, and of us “townies” than either of us realized. I will be developing some projects for DreamWorks starting early next year. KT: Tell us a little about where you Work toward doing went after Lincoln College? I am also mentoring other young something you artists who are trying to make it in BC: I worked for a couple of years at animation, as well as speaking and doing love or have a passion a local insurance company stuffing workshops at universities, art schools and envelopes while taking night art classes at conferences. I never would have thought for. I loved to draw since I LC. I applied to California Institute of the in a million years that I’d have the Arts, which had a graduate program for could hold a crayon…and I courage to get up in front of an audience Character Animation. I was rejected the and talk! I was so shy when I lived in pursued an education and first time; I then tried again the next year Beason and went to LC! and was accepted. I moved to California in career where I could keep 1984. KT: What are your main doing that. I have never I met my husband there, Kevin Lima; we accomplishments or things about were married in 1988. Now we have a 13 yourself you want to share? regretted it. Like my step- year-old daughter. BC: I am enjoying being a mom of a 13 father, the late Jack Brown year-old girl. She keeps me from getting KT: How did you come up with the always said, ‘I’ve never old by challenging me every step of the story behind “Brave” and how does it way. She’s amazing. relate back to your life in Beason, Ill.? worked a day in my life, because I love what I BC: When I started thinking about the I have been happily married for 24 years. story of “Brave,” the idea was inspired We both work in the animation industry. do!’ He was a farmer. by my “stormy” relationship with my daughter. She was only 5 at the time, and KT: If you could offer out any I was wondering what she was going advice to today’s college students, to be like as a teenager. She’s a really what would it be? strong-willed girl—a good thing when BC: Work toward doing something she becomes an adult, but a piece of work you love or have a passion for. I loved to raising her! draw since I could hold a crayon…and I It was the first time I’d had the pursued an education and career where opportunity to create, write and direct I could keep doing that. I have never my own story, so I wanted to pay homage regretted it. Like my step-father, the to my hometown and people that I late Jack Brown always said, “I’ve never remembered with so much fondness. worked a day in my life, because I love When I first started developing the idea, what I do!” He was a farmer.