San Francisco State University graduate wins Oscar for Pixar's 'Inside Out'

ByAmy Hollyfield KGO logo

Monday, February 29, 2016

San Francisco State University graduate wins Oscar for 'Inside Out'

A graduate student is an Oscar winner for his work on the Pixar movie "Inside Out" saying that studying at San Francisco State University was a big stepping stone in his career.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco State University graduate student is an Oscar winner for his work on the Pixar movie "Inside Out."

Jonas Rivera said going to San Francisco State was a big stepping stone in his career and Sunday night he made a giant leap.

San Francisco State University already knew he was a big deal. There's a poster of Rivera hanging in the hallway of the Creative Arts building at San Francisco State University. However, after seeing the San Francisco State alum on the big stage Sunday night winning an Oscar, students and faculty really have a reason to brag. "I really like that he won, that was good, it was cool for us," one student said.

"It's amazing and we are proud of him," another student said.

Rivera is a film producer for Pixar and took home the Oscar for Best Animated Picture for the film "Inside Out." "On this film, every single storyboard, every single frame, cut, line of dialog, every single pixel was done by the amazing artists we work with at Pixar led by the amazing by John Lasseter. They should be up here with us, we love them, along with our amazing cast, best cast ever," Rivera said.

"That's awesome, I think that's so great. My dad is one of those people who say, 'yeah, I'm telling you go SF State, they have a great cinema program,' and that's why I also came here because their cinema program is great, so that's crazy awesome," San Francisco State University Brittany Avale said.

"Knowing that like you can get a degree from here and do that, I think it is motivating," one student said.

Rivera spoke with ABC7 News last week about the film, calling it a simple idea about the struggles of growing up and how pleased he is that the film has gotten so much attention. "It feels amazing, I mean you don't really make these films with awards and things in mind. You make them one frame at a time over five years with a big crew. So, when you're done people like them, it's a big reward," Rivera said.

For complete Oscars coverage click here.