Michael Arias

Michael Arias, born 1968 in California, is an award-winning filmmaker, spanning the worlds of live-action storytelling, visual effects, computer graphics, and anime. He graduated from the Webb School of California at age 16 and attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut, before eventually dropping out to pursue a career in the film industry. Arias got his start at Dream Quest Images, working as a camera assistant on the motion control stages of effect-heavy films such as The Abyss (1989) and Total Recall (1990). In 1990, Arias was asked by visual effects godfather Douglas Trumbull to program ride vehicle motion for [Back to the Future...The Ride](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101392/), which is considered a milestone in immersive entertainment. He then moved to Tokyo for stints at post-production behemoth Imagica and game giant Sega, until returning to the United States to co-found effects boutique Syzygy Digital Cinema. At CG innovator Softimage, Arias developed and patented tools for combining traditional animation and computer graphics, working closely with Studio Ghibli to add a distinct visual flavor to Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. In 2000, Arias ar

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