In this Alumni Behind the Scenes series, we give recognition to the hard work that our Academy of Art graduates have done to contribute to the film industry. For this first roll-out, we feature Detective Pikachu.

As you may very well know by now, RJ Palmer, was pivotal in the Pokémon designs for Detective Pikachu. The School of Illustration alum was tapped by the movie production studio when they stumbled upon his “realistic Pokémon” online.

The rest, as they say, is history.

As it turns out, though, RJ isn’t the only Academy alum who helped bring these adorable characters to life. In fact, we have several of them from the School of Animation & Visual Effects—all of whom we are equally very proud of! So as Detective Pikachu delivers a pleasant surprise, despite the initial misgivings of fans, we give a hearty congratulations to the following Alumni Behind the Scenes.

Clearly, they’re enjoying the animation career they’ve only once dreamed of.