Disney animator from Humboldt, Sask. celebrates Oscar win

Andrew Ford of Humboldt, Sask., has held the golden statuette so many people in film dream of winning.

In 2015, Disney hired Ford to be a character animator on Zootopia, the Oscar winner for the best animated feature at Sunday’s Academy Awards.

READ MORE: 2017 Academy Awards include work from Saskatchewan artists

The Oscar is “actually pretty heavy. It’s got some weight to it,” Ford told Global News over the phone.

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Ford and a couple hundred Disney animators gathered to watch the awards Sunday on TV.

The next morning, they gathered for a toast to the team, directors and leadership in Disney and Disney Feature Animation.

“There’s not many opportunities for this. You can work a whole lifetime in movies and not have a chance,” Ford said.

READ MORE: How the Oscars’ Best Picture envelope mix-up unfolded

Another movie Ford worked on, Moana, was nominated for two Oscars, but didn’t take home any hardware.

The University of Saskatchewan alumnus is now working on Wreck-It Ralph 2, which is scheduled to come out next year.