Published Oct. 28, 2004, in the Kirksville Daily Express

Story by Matthew Webber

KIRKSVILLE - When one 2001 graduate of Kirksville High School wished upon a star, his dreams came true.

"It was a lofty dream of mine to someday work for Pixar," said Andrew Butts, the son of Doran and Khamthoune

Butts and a senior at Cornell University.

Now Butts is an intern for Pixar -- the animation studio that, with Disney, has produced computer-animated blockbusters like "Finding Nemo," "Monsters, Inc." and the "Toy Story" movies -- and Butts is living the dream he has had since high school, where he once drew a cartoon instead of reciting a poem for class.

"In French class, we had to memorize a poem that was maybe twenty lines long," Butts said. "Instead of just buckling down and memorizing it, I made a cartoon with animals acting out the poem, and I showed it in class instead of reciting the poem like everyone else."

His parents and teachers supported his hobby.

"In high school I had a lot of free time, and very encouraging parents and teachers," Butts said. "I spent more time working on independent projects than school projects."

Years removed from his poetry period, Butts continues to make cartoons.

At Pixar, Butts said he is "shading," or adding texture to computer-animated shapes, for the upcoming movie "Cars." It is a complicated process.

"The part that I get to do is shading," he said, "which is the process of taking a computer sculpture that's the right shape but that's made of no particular material, and turning the parts into wood or scratched paint or dirty, rusted metal or worn leather or whatever the art department calls for."

No matter what questions Butts might have about computer software, figure drawing or anything else, the "absolutely stunningly brilliant" Pixar employees are never "too busy to help interns like me when we have questions," Butts said.

He said his workplace has a swimming pool, gym, basketball court, soccer field, saunas and employees riding scooters up and down the hallways.

"It's an exceptionally friendly, open workplace, and I'm convinced it's the best place in the world for computer animation," he said.

Butts said he has learned more about cartooning from his internship than from school.

"Since coming to Pixar, I've learned more about computer graphics in the context of animated film than I ever knew," he said. "It's been a tremendous experience."

After Butts graduates from Cornell, he hopes to return to Pixar or go to graduate school.

"At any rate, it will be very valuable to be able to say I worked for Pixar solving real technical problems and doing real production work that shows up on the screen," he said.

For Butts, his dream is not only a wish his heart makes, but one his hard work and computer skills have helped bring to life.