Rising Stars: Meet Nora Johnson of Burbank

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nora Johnson.

Hi Nora, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m an animation storyboard artist and director who’s spent over 30 years living and working in Los Angeles after arriving from Ireland in the early ’90s.
I studied graphic design and illustration in Dublin during the ’80s and within a year of graduating, landed a job as an assistant animator at a new US studio, Murakami Wolf Dublin. The studio was gearing up to produce a brand-new animated TV show called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yes—that one.
By the mid ’90s, the studio had downsized, and much of the work dried up. A wave of newly trained Irish animators headed abroad, and a large group of us landed in Los Angeles. My first U.S. job was storyboarding on Garfield and Friends, which kicked off several years in TV animation, working on shows like Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Dexter’s Lab, and Cow and Chicken.
In the 2000s, I shifted into feature animation, drawn to more complex storytelling, cinematography, and character development. Over the following years, I worked as a feature story artist on films including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Hotel Transylvania, Moana, and The Lego Batman Movie. I was very lucky, those years were a masterclass alongside some of the industry’s most talented artists and filmmakers.
A few years ago, I returned to TV animation to direct. I was looking for a new challenge, and working closely with a crew in a leadership role was very rewarding. Most recently, I served as an episodic director on Kindergarten the Musical for Disney Jr., a very cute show with great energy and even greater songs.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Animation has its ups and downs and that can be stressful. It’s project-based, often seasonal, and usually comes with a built-in sense of gotta keep hustling. Though work would usually pick up eventually. At least, it always used to.
But the industry is changing fast. With outsourcing, fewer projects being green lit or renewed, and AI looming over everything, many artists are out of work. I’m close enough to retirement to manage, but I feel for the next generation of animators and artists, the future of the industry seems uncertain.
I started in 1989 with a pencil, paper, eraser, and electric sharpener. In just over a decade, we’d switched to digital, and I was using Photoshop and drawing on a screen with a stylus. Change is the only constant—whether we’re ready for it or not.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a storyboard artist, my job is to break the script down into sequential visuals, like comic book panels. It’s a blueprint for everyone on the crew to follow moving forward.
Working with the director, I figure out camera moves, staging, acting, sometimes contributing story ideas or writing. Then I pitch it to the crew for their input. I love that it’s such a collaborative process.
Over the years, I’ve worked for studios like WB, DreamWorks, Disney, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Sony—on everything from kids’ TV shows and Christmas specials to tentpole movies and live-action shorts. A proud moment came in 1997 when I won an Annie Award for storyboarding on the Cartoon Network show, Cow and Chicken. I had so much fun on that show, that’s usually when the best work happens.
Alongside my professional career, I’ve spent the last 25 years building a personal art collection. Mostly lowbrow and pop surrealist art, much of it by Los Angeles–based artists. The movement, born in LA back in the 1960s, blends pop culture, animation, underground comics, surrealism, and street art among other influences. This collection has been a passion, a parallel education and counterweight to the more commercial aspects of my animation career.
I’ve always been drawn to imagery and narratives that feel slightly surreal, dark and emotionally intuitive—the kind that linger rather than explain themselves. Lately I’ve been learning about neurodivergence and the growing body of science around it, that’s been a game changer. It’s helped me understand my struggles with executive dysfunction and focus, but also my pull towards intuition and the unconventional. Whatever comes next, whether it’s animation, film, fine art, or collaborative work, I want to lean into my creative wiring.
But before all that, I’d like to get out from behind the desk I’ve been sitting at for the last 35 years and do some traveling!

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My childhood is full of great memories, but bedtime stories with my dad were something special. He loves telling stories, and he’s very good at it. My brothers and I would huddle around him on the bed, hanging on every word—it was magical. Doctor Dolittle, Treasure Island, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Wind in the Willows….and Tintin, our favorite. We still have a well-worn Tintin comic collection at home, it’s been a big influence on me throughout my career as a narrative artist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nojomation

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