VES Gives Founders Award to Jim Morris

The Visual Effects Society has announced it will present the 2010 VES Founders Award to Pixar executive and former society chairman Jim Morris.

Morris, who is the general manager and executive vice president of production at Pixar Animation Studios, will receive the award Sept. 23 at the VES Annual Membership Meeting.

Morris is currently producing Disney’s John Carter of Mars for release in 2012. He produced Pixar’s WALL’E, which won the Oscar for Best Animated film in 2009 and also served as production executive on Ratatouille, Up, Toy Story 3 and the upcoming Pixar movies Cars 2, Brave and Monsters, Inc. 2.

Prior to Pixar, Morris worked for Lucasfilm for 17 years and was president of Lucas Digital Ltd. for 11 years, where he was responsible for Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation and Skywalker Sound. Concurrently, Morris served as ILM’s general manager, where he supervised a staff of more than 1,400 artists and technicians, and guided the largest visual effects facility in the entertainment industry.

Morris was chosen as this year’s VES Founders Award recipient for service ‘above and beyond the call of duty’ to the craft of visual effects and to the membership of VES.

“A group of great colleagues from the visual effects and animation arts came together to start the VES, and I am very proud to have served the organization as the Founding Chair,’ said Morris. ‘I have charted the progress of the VES over these last 10-plus years, and am amazed at the professional and vibrant organization it has become, and the leadership role it is playing in the industry. I am honored and humbled to receive this award.”