inmate profile: Trey Stokes

As you well know, this month's Asylum release is the polar-apocalyptic 2012 Ice Age; as you may also know, in the weeks leading up to a new release I like to shine a little spotlight on the creative types behind the project. Earlier I profiled Ice Age writers Victoria Dadi and Paul Sinor, and now it's time to turn our attention to the man behind the curtain, the captain of the ship, el jefe himself, the film's director, Trey Stokes.

Not only is Mr. Stokes an accomplished director, he's also known for his puppeteering work on such films as the 1988 Blob remake with Kevin Dillon, Species, Robocop 2, Team America: World Police and James Cameron's only legit masterpiece (IMO), The Abyss, on which Mr. Stokes served as head puppeteer. Mr. Stokes has also worked in other realms of visual effects, including animation for Starship Troopers and My Favorite Martian, and most recently as the lead motion capture integrator for Robert Zemeckis' The Polar Express. Not to mention the guy's stints as an editor, cinematographer, camera operator, actor and even motion simulation programmer for two Universal Studios rides, The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera, and Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast!


As a director, Stokes first gained prominence with Pink Five, a Star Wars parody series that blew up online and eventually got the Lucas stamp of approval as the bearded-one's selection for fan film of the year in 2003. The next year, the sequel, Pink Five Strikes Back, won the audience award in the same competition. A final installment, Return of Pink Five, has been completed and is awaiting release. He is also the driving creative force behind the sci-fi webseries Ark.


But for Asylum fans, Mr. Stokes is best known for his amazing work directing last year's leviathan of a film (and my personal favorite of the 2010 Asylum offerings). 2010 Moby Dick. What does this mean for 2012 Ice Age? It means there's a proven director and visual effects wiz at the helm, and by what I can tell from the trailer, he's pulling out all the stops on this one. 

2012 Ice Age drops on DVD June 28. Don't worry, I'll remind you.