Evergreen alumnus wins Golden Globe for ‘Zootopia’

Long before he walked the red carpet with Hollywood celebrities, Bryon Howard walked The Evergreen State College’s red square.

Howard was co-director of “Zootopia,” which won a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature on Sunday night. He grew up in Issaquah and studied storytelling through literature and film at Evergreen. He graduated from the Olympia college in 1990 and has worked as a Disney animator for more than 20 years.

“We wanted ‘Zootopia’ to be a film that not only entertained kids, but also spoke to adults about embracing diversity even when there are people in the world who want to divide us by using fear,” Howard said in his acceptance speech.

“And on top of all that, we still managed to fit in a joke about a sloth working at the DMV,” added co-director Rich Moore.

Howard also directed Disney’s “Bolt” and “Tangled.”

In an interview after Sunday’s award ceremony, Howard said “Zootopia” was “a culmination of five years of work for all of us.” A crew of nearly 800 people worked on the film.

“Zootopia takes on some critical issues in a way that is really accessible for audiences from kids to adults,” said George Bridges, president of The Evergreen State College, in a news release. “We applaud Byron Howard for his contributions to the film and for the recognition he continues to receive for his work.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Evergreen alumnus wins Golden Globe for ‘Zootopia’."