Meet Nolan Wollmer: Aspiring VFX Artist, Animator, and Gorilla Creative Film Scholarship Recipient

While most kids were watching SpongeBob and Disney channel, Nolan Wollmer was busy wondering how the epic creatures in The Lord of the Rings came to life. “I was captivated by visual and special effects,” he says. “It was then that I knew I just had to work on movies one day.”

Today, Nolan is pursuing a degree in Animation at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), where he’s set to graduate in 2026. But his journey into filmmaking started long before that. “My earliest memory of loving animation was watching Fantasia,” he says. “There’s something powerful about moving paintings that can hold so much emotion and soul.”

Nolan's passion crystallized during a recent project in his Creative Project Development class. Titled From The Stars, the original concept follows a droid companion and an elf-like being on the planet Varillion as they outrun the merciless Krivecs—creatures bent on wiping out all life. “The moral of the story is it’s easy to run from the things that haunt us, but until we face them head on, they’ll keep chasing us,” he explains.

From concept art to animation, Nolan crafted the entire piece himself in just a few weeks. “After pre-production, we had maybe 20 days of actual production. It was a crunch, but it’s important to be able to do anything and everything as an animator,” he says. That hands-on, all-in mentality reflects Nolan’s commitment to mastering the craft, especially in visual effects and compositing, where he finds the most joy. “A scene would be nothing without a burst of energy, an explosion, or the color grading that makes it theater-ready. I love putting all the pieces together to make something whole.”

When it comes to his personal style, Nolan describes his animation as “clean, flat, and modern,” with clear influences from anime and series like Arcane and One Piece—the kinds of projects he dreams of working on one day. He’s also inspired by visionary creators like Hayao Miyazaki. “You can feel the effort and heart in every frame,” he says. “That’s what makes animation so special. No live-action film can replicate that, even though it’s ‘real.’”

Long-term, Nolan hopes to break into the industry through VFX and 2D animation roles, eventually building his own studio to help nurture creativity in others. “Getting my foot in the door is the biggest hurdle,” he says, “but I know the value of these stories—and I want to be part of telling them.”

The team at Gorilla Creative is proud to support Nolan’s creative journey and excited to see the worlds he brings to life next. You can see more of his work on his portfolio site. Aside from the scholarship funds he has received to support him, we will be conducting a personal AMA where he can spend time talking with the team at Gorilla Creative to learn more about video production from working professionals. Congratulations, Nolan!