With over a decade of experience under her belt, Janel is a seasoned animator with a passion for film and the art of animation.

Originally from Folsom, California, she made her way to the Bay Area for college and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Art Practice. She went on to hone her skills under industry professionals at Animation Mentor and the Animation Collaborative, all while she helped make video games across San Francisco, working on everything from AAA franchises to episodic adventure games to mobile titles.

In 2017 she packed up and headed north to Vancouver, BC, to break into the world of animated film. She had a blast animating cartoon monsters, flying reindeer, some very angry birds, and even a few Legos. After working under the direction of legendary animator Glen Keane, she headed home to California and settled into her old East Bay stomping grounds where she took up a position at Pixar Animation Studios. After spending a couple years with dogs, red pandas, and space rangers, she’s now animating for Walt Disney Animation Studios on Strange World.

When she’s not animating you can find her around Oakland, California, lifting weights, hiking through the redwoods, mixing up a cocktail, and on occasion, singing and strumming her guitar at a local open mic night.