If you received an email announcing the Animation Guild’s inaugural Zinefest, you’ve see Kris Mukai’s work. An active member at the Guild, Mukai currently works as a writer on We Bare Bears, and will be showcasing some of her comics at the Zinefest on June 28th. But you can see here work before then at hikrismukai.com.
How did you get into animation?
I studied illustration and was making comics on the side, when a lot of my cartoonist friends started getting jobs in animation and moving to LA. They told me, “Oh yeah, you have to join a union” and my ears shot up. I’d been freelancing for a while at that point and I was really tired of chasing down clients for late payments. [Showrunner] Adam Muto gave me a shot and asked me to board a few episodes of Adventure Time, then I got an offer to be a revisionist on We Bare Bears and I made the big move out here. Thank you Adam and Daniel!!
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist?
If I can make something that another person can see themselves in, then I’ll be happy.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
My friends and I have started getting into birding, so we’ve been going to a lot of parks lately. Most recently, we attended the Great LA River Cleanup where you grab as much trash out of the river as you can. It’s great—it feels like playing a video game. The TAG Young Workers Committee organized a group along with the Editor’s Guild YWC, and I hope we get to do it again next year!
If you could be any animated character, who would you be any why?
I’d definitely be Rilakkuma, that dude knows how to live.
What TAG boards are you on and how have you contributed to the union?
I’m on the Testing Committee; our goal is to change the culture of testing in the animation industry. If you have questions about testing, or if you get a test that feels weird, contact us! If you’re in a hiring position and you’re making a test… contact us! We want to hear member’s needs from both sides of the table!