TORONTO - It took Jamie Metzger a stint in musical theatre to realize that her true calling was animation.
After a brief time pursuing fame in film and TV, she decided to return to her first love, drawing, and it's leading to what could be her biggest role in show business yet -- a gig at Pixar Animation Studios in California.
The amiable 29-year-old says for awhile she viewed her acting stretch as a waste of time, but now suspects her drama background gave her an edge when she responded to an online job notice.
"I read the Pixar animation posting and it says: 'If you can bring strong acting abilities we can teach you the tools.' And I thought, 'Well I can act!' " says Metzger, who starts at the "Monsters Inc." and "Toy Story" factory June 6.
"Animation really is just acting with a pencil or acting with a computer because the characters aren't going to feel sad on their own or they're not going to dance on their own. You need to infuse that into it."
Metzger is among 12 emerging filmmakers featured in TIFF's Student Showcase, an offshoot of the Toronto International Film Festival launching Tuesday in Toronto and heading to Vancouver on Thursday.
Her entry, "Paso Doble," is a striking black, red and white rendering of a passionate tango between a woman and a man-turned-bull.
Other selections include "My Name Is Mitch," about a solitary misfit who finds solace among birds and "Bramula," the tale of a seemingly ordinary house cat that might be a reincarnated vampire.
Metzger's coveted Pixar position comes just as she graduates from the acclaimed four-year animation program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont.
Other successful grads include DreamWorks writer/director Dean DeBlois, who was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year for his work on "How To Train Your Dragon," and special effects wizard Steve Williams, whose work can be seen in "The Mask," "Jurassic Park," and "Terminator 2."
Metzger says she ran into several Sheridan grads when she toured the Pixar offices in March.
"(Sheridan) has really strong fundamentals," she says. "It attracts very skilled applicants so when you're in the program, your classmates are teaching you as much as your teachers are. You're learning from everybody."
Metzger says she doesn't know what she'll be working on once she completes a three-month training session at Pixar.
"I used to think I really liked broad comedy, very goofy things but I think maybe the older I get and the more life experience I have I also like doing the really intimate, sentimental moments," she says.
Pixar's upcoming features include "Brave," about a Scottish princess who becomes a skilled archer, and "Monsters Inc. 2."
"I would be excited about either," says Metzger. "You know that whatever Pixar's working on is going to be gold."
