French Artist Christophe Vacher’s Journey from Disney Animator to Lunar Art Contributor

The films “Hercule”, “Tarzan”, “Fantasia 2000” or the “Transformers” series: so many famous projects on which Christophe Vacher worked. This Auvergnat left France more than 20 years ago for the USA. He was rewarded by receiving two Emmy Awards. But currently, it is as a painter that he stands out: one of his works will leave for eternity on the Moon.

An exceptional journey, from Issoire (Puy-de-Dôme) to Los Angeles. Christophe Vacher left France in 1996 to settle in the United States and work for animation studios. He was then 30 years old. Now 56, he says: I have been in Los Angeles for 27 years. I was living in Paris at the time and I was working in cartoons for Disney. In the mid-90s when “The Lion King” came out, every major studio wanted to open an animation department. I had wanted to leave for a long time and this was my chance. I moved to the United States in 1996, I was 30 years old “. For him, it all started in Puy-de-Dôme: “ I grew up in Issoire. I studied in Clermont-Ferrand. I worked in Angoulême then in Blois. I started working on a first series, in Paris: it was for “The Ninja Turtles”. For Disney, I then worked for a first feature film “Goofy and Max” ».

Very early on, he nurtured a great passion for drawing: “ Even before I could write, I was interested in drawing. It’s what I always wanted to do “. But alongside his career in animation, Christophe also focused on painting: “ I stayed at Disney until 2002. Besides that, I was painting. A first gallery in Beverly Hills exhibited my paintings. I worked with another gallery in San Francisco and another in Los Angeles. I managed both careers in parallel. They are complementary. I returned to animation in 2004 at Dreamworks”. The Frenchy of American studios defines his style: “ In the 90s, there was no term to define my painting. I was doing fantastic painting. Then there was a revival of realism. There is a category called imaginary realism. It is on the border of symbolism and surrealism ».

His career as a painter has just experienced an unexpected twist: “ Since 2005, there has been a realism fair in New York with a competition. This year, I earned an honorable mention. There is a Lunar Codex project, with collections launched during lunar missions. Next year, the Polaris collection will be launched with a lunar model: it is a compendium of all human artistic creation, both musical and pictorial. It will be archived on the Moon for eternity. One of my works is one of them. All works will be laser engraved in nickel microfiche or digitized “. The painter is very moved by this distinction: “ It’s surreal. The last time I felt something like this was when I won an Emmy Award. I won two years in a row an Emmy Award as artistic director for the series “Transformers”. I took a week to make. It’s hard to realize that one of his works is going to be on the moon forever ».

Within animation studios, his work has evolved: When I started I was doing character design, then I moved on to environment design. I started without a computer. I became a decorator in Paris. When I arrived here, I worked on the visual development: it’s the design part at the very beginning of the film. I was working on the movie “Dinosaurs”. I started to discover the computer and Photoshop. I took part in the film “Hercules”, “Tarzan”, “Fantasia 2000”. I then became artistic director for the film “Once upon a time” in the early 2000s. I worked on the film “Number 9” “. Christopher continues: In 2010, I worked on the “Transformers” series with Hasbro studios. I stayed there for 7 years. It allowed me to see how much technology had changed. So I did some painting and then I went back to animation, notably at Dreamworks for the “Jurassic World” series. Then I returned to Disney for a series that will be released this summer. In this profession of artistic director, it is the creative aspect that pleases me the most. I work on light and color for feature films. It’s the finished look that interests me the most. ».

Christophe explains what the notion of the American dream evokes for him: “ The expression American dream suits me, but you have to know that every dream has its downside. It’s never as beautiful as what we saw in a dream. I go back to France every year. I have an idea running through my head: come back and settle there because I miss France. But if I did, it won’t be as rosy as I want it to be “. Despite all these professional awards, Christophe confides with a heavy heart: “ Unfortunately, I never met the woman of my life.e ».

Despite all these years spent across the Atlantic, he remains very attached to Auvergne: ” My Auvergne roots are still strong, especially since I return to France every year. But I see each time that Auvergne is landlocked. We still don’t have a TGV! I don’t understand “. He takes a moving look at his experience: “ If someone had told me that I would have a course like this, I would have asked them to be examined. My journey is amazing. I follow the thread of things as they happen. I have been very lucky. It takes work, passion and a matter of timing “. Christophe leads his career in the biggest American studios, while making a name for himself in painting. Now he is represented by a gallery established in Hawaii.