W
hen a kindergarten
teacher sends a note
home to parents
wanting to discuss a drawing their son
made in class, it usually leads to an
awkward talk about private parts and
proper behavior.
Such a note arrived for Shelley
Aliotti one day nearly 40 years ago,
but she already knew enough about her son
Jason Reisig's artistic ability not to think the
worst. Teacher Kay Goines marveled at the
artwork—a colorful drawing depicting the
"Wizard of Oz" cast (Toto, too!) strolling
down an intricate yellow brick road. She saw
in Jason a prodigy who needed careful nur-
turing. His mom saw a child having fun and
expressing himself—just drawing sunrays and
rainbows like any other 5 year old.
"I told her not to be concerned,"
says Aliotti, who married John Aliotti
when Jason was young (the couple
run the Carmel Valley Art
Association). "Jason was always an
artist. His talent was obvious from
pre-school age."
Reisig, now 44 and living in Los
Angeles, parlayed his talent into a suc-
cessful career in Hollywood at DreamWorks
Animation, creators of such animated features
as "Shrek," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Kung
Fu Panda" and the recently released "Home,"
starring the voices of Jennifer Lopez and
138 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
Reisig is the son of Carmel Valley artist Shelley Aliotti. He attended York School and UC Santa Cruz. For "Shrek," one of his first major
animated films, he was nominated for an Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation."
