Beginning April 1, 2023, CTN Studio in Burbank will host the special exhibition “REES’S PIECES,” featuring works of art by the extremely talented Rees family.
Many Disney fans may know Jerry Rees as the director of The Brave Little Toaster. He began his career as a Disney Feature Animator, working his way up to Visual Effects Supervisor on the 1982 film Tron.
He has since directed over twenty Disney Theme Park attractions, including Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland, and past favorites like Cranium Command in Epcot and CineMagique in Disneyland Paris.
He spent five years as an Executive R&D Imagineer, where he served as Creative Lead on free-walking autonomous robots and AI companion characters, garnering him multiple Disney Inventor Awards.
Jerry met his future wife Rebecca at Disney Feature Animation in the 1970s. While Jerry’s path ran through CalArts, Rebecca’s was via the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. At Disney, she was mentored by some of Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men, including Eric Larson, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston.
Rebecca’s impressive career in animation spanned over twenty years, most of it at Disney, where her credits include such projects as The Fox and the Hound, Back to Neverland, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Upon spending several months working in Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong, Rebecca became enamored with Sumi-e East Asian brush painting, which focuses on simplicity and spontaneity.
While Jerry and Rebecca have worked together on creative projects during their careers, they might say their two best creations have come in the form of their two boys, Wilder and Ian.
Wilder Rees is an accomplished illustrator and character designer whose obsession with style and detail shines in his work. Wilder holds a BFA in Illustration from the Laguna College of Art and Design and is currently a full-time character designer for the animated television series Rick and Morty. His talents span various mediums, from old-school graphite to more modern applications like digital painting software.
Ian Rees graduated from the Media Composition department at California State University Northridge and was then accepted into the USC SMPTV Graduate Certificate Program. A multi-talented musician and film composer, Ian has created music for theatrical feature films, shorts, tablet and smartphone apps, YouTube channels, music libraries, and more.
Perhaps the anchor of the exhibition is provided by Jerry’s late father, Harold Rees, who skillfully carved instruments until his 102nd birthday. Harold came from a long line of woodcarvers and musicians, carving his first instrument in 1949.
With so much talent in this family, an exhibition like this was inevitable. But how did it come about? Rebecca recalls the story. “I was sitting at dinner with Jerry and our two boys after having my own one-artist show. And just sitting there all together, the whole Rees family, the candy name popped into my mind. Thinking everyone would likely find it too silly, I said, ‘Gee, we should have a group show and call it Rees’s Pieces.’ But Jerry, Wilder, and Ian all looked at each other and said, ‘Huh… that’s a good idea!’ It all started with a fun whim, and it’s turned into a family adventure.”
Rees’s Pieces Gallery Exhibit
REES’S PIECES opens with a reception on Saturday, April 1, at 5:00 pm in Burbank’s CTN Studio. The reception is free and open to all, but please register here if you’d like to attend. The exhibition will run through May 27th and will feature over 100 creations executed in a wide range of materials, including charcoal, inks, graphite, watercolors, wood, clay, bronze, pastels, and pixels. Accompanying all of the eye candy will be original music by Ian Rees, which was directly inspired by his family’s displayed works.
Bring your earbuds (preferably wireless) to access QR codes that provide deeper dives into the myriad of fun stories surrounding many of the creations. Several of Harold Rees’s gorgeous instruments will be on display, with Lucille Taylor, principal violist for the San Bernardino Symphony (and proud owner of an original Harold Rees viola), planning to stop by on April 29 to play some of the instruments for guests.
On Saturday, April 22, at 5:00 pm, the gallery will host a very special The Brave Little Toaster reunion, featuring over twenty members of the cast and crew from the beloved animated classic. If you can’t make it in person, both the Toaster reunion and the opening night reception allow you to visit virtually. Full details and the links to RSVP can be found on the official REES’S PIECES page.
If you’re able to, please stop by CTN Studio in Burbank and enjoy this limited-time exhibition from a wonderful and extraordinarily talented family.
Rees Exhibition Schedule
- April 1st – Opening night reception, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
- April 8th – “Ask me anything” with Jerry Rees, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, gallery browse 3:00 to 6:00 pm
- April 15th – “Ask me anything” with Jerry Rees, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, gallery browse 3:00 to 6:00 pm
- April 22nd – Gallery browse 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Brave Little Toaster cast & crew reunion/Q&A 5:00 to 8:00 pm
- April 29th – Lucille Taylor (time TBD), gallery browse (time TBD)
- May 6th – Music chat with Ian Rees, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, gallery browse 3:00 to 6:00 pm
- May 13th – “Ask me anything” with Jerry Rees, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, gallery browse 3:00 to 6:00 pm
- May 20th – “Ask me anything” with Jerry Rees (and special guest!), 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, gallery browse 3:00 to 6:00 pm
- May 27th – Closing party, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
