{{Short description|American animator, artist, video game designer, and writer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox person |name = Tasha Sounart |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |occupation = Animator, artist, game designer, writer |spouse = |birth_name = Tasha Wedeen }} '''Tasha Sounart''' (née '''Wedeen''', formerly '''Harris''') is an American animator, artist, video game designer, and writer. She was the designer of Double Fine's adventure RPG ''Costume Quest''.<ref name="ugo announce">{{Cite web | url = http://www.ugo.com/games/costume-quest-double-fine-preview | title = Exclusive First Look at Double Fine's New Game: Costume Quest | publisher = UGO | first = Chris | last = Plante | date = August 10, 2010 | accessdate = August 10, 2010 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20100816235906/http://www.ugo.com/games/costume-quest-double-fine-preview | archivedate = August 16, 2010 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> She is currently an Associate Creative Director of Theme Parks at Pixar.

==Career== Tasha Sounart began her career as an animator on ''A Bug's Life'' at Pixar. She was an animator there for nine years,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://2k11.torontocomics.com/tasha-harris/ | title = TCAF (2011)/The Toronto Comics Art Festival/Tasha Harris | accessdate = February 28, 2012 | publisher = Toronto Comic Arts Festival }}</ref> before leaving Pixar for Double Fine Productions.

At Double Fine, she was the lead animator on ''Brütal Legend''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/previews/216279/costume-quest-preview/ |title=Costume Quest preview from GamePro |first=Dave |last=Rudden |date=August 10, 2010 |accessdate=February 27, 2012 |publisher=GamePro |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102163916/http://www.gamepro.com/article/previews/216279/costume-quest-preview/ |archivedate=November 2, 2010 }}</ref> During the period of time when ''Brütal Legend'' was left with no publisher, the head of the Double Fine studio, Tim Schafer, gave the project leads a chance to forget about what they were doing and come up with concepts and lead a team on smaller projects over the course of two weeks to develop prototype games, dubbed the "Amnesia Fortnight".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29450/Develop_Double_Fines_Schafer_On_Amnesia_Fortnights_And_The_Pitfalls_Of_AAA.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100718063015/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29450/Develop_Double_Fines_Schafer_On_Amnesia_Fortnights_And_The_Pitfalls_Of_AAA.php | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 18, 2010 | title = Develop: Double Fine's Schafer On 'Amnesia Fortnights' And The Pitfalls Of AAA | first = Simon | last = Parkin | date = July 15, 2010 | accessdate = July 15, 2010 | publisher = Gamasutra }}</ref> Sounart pitched an idea that she had when she was at Pixar about a game centered on kids trick-or-treating on Halloween.<ref name="gamasutra harris">{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30960/Interview_Double_Fines_Harris__From_Pixar_To_Costume_Quest.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101023071717/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/30960/Interview_Double_Fines_Harris__From_Pixar_To_Costume_Quest.php | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 23, 2010 | title = Interview: Double Fine's Harris – From Pixar To Costume Quest | first = Christaan | last = Nutt | date = October 20, 2010 | accessdate = October 21, 2010 | publisher = Gamasutra}}</ref> The prototype game, ''Costume Quest'', was pitched to publishers, and THQ greenlit the game with a $2&nbsp;million budget.<ref name="gb interview">{{cite web | url = http://www.giantbomb.com/news/16-million-and-counting/3981/ |title = $1.6 Million and Counting | first = Patrick | last = Klepek | date = February 13, 2012 | accessdate = February 13, 2012 | publisher = Giant Bomb }}</ref>

Tasha Sounart has a webcomic called ''Tasha's Comic'', which was created as part of ''Double Fine Comics''. During the production of ''Brütal Legend'', Double Fine's webmaster, Klint Honeychurch, created a flash game based on ''Tasha's Comic'', called ''Tasha's Game'' with artwork and animation by Sounart.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/08/costume-quest/ |title = Next Up For Double Fine: Halloween RPG Costume Quest | first = Gus | last = Mastrapa | date = August 11, 2010 | accessdate = February 27, 2012 | publisher = Wired }}</ref>

On September 9, 2011 she posted her last comic on Double Fine's website and moved her comic to her personal blog because she had left Double Fine to rejoin Pixar as their lead franchise artist.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://torontocomics.com/tasha-harris/ | title = TCAF (2012)/The Toronto Comics Art Festival/Tasha Harris | accessdate = February 28, 2012 | publisher = Toronto Comic Arts Festival | archive-date = June 1, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110601061419/http://torontocomics.com/tasha-harris/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>

On December 19, 2012, Tasha Sounart announced that she was expecting her first child. She gave birth to a son named Colton on July 3, 2013.

==Recognition== Tasha Sounart won awards in the categories of art and for "Rising Star" at the Women in Gaming Awards at the 2011 Game Developers Conference.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.edge-online.com/news/gdc-2011-women-gaming-awards | title = GDC 2011: Women in Gaming Awards | accessdate = February 28, 2012 | publisher = Edge }}</ref>

''Tasha's Game'' was nominated for "Best of Casual Gameplay 2008" in the platform browser games category from Jay is Games.<ref>{{cite web |title=Show Tasha Your Love |url=http://mixnmojo.com/news/Show-Tasha-your-love |publisher=The International House of Mojo |accessdate=February 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Best of Casual Gameplay 2008 – platform (browser games) |url=http://jayisgames.com/best-of/2008/platform/ |publisher=Jay is Games |accessdate=February 25, 2012}}</ref> ''Costume Quest'' was awarded the "Best Downloadable Game of the Year" at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards<ref>{{cite web|title=Spike Video Game Awards 2010 Wrap-Up|url=http://www.1up.com/news/spike-video-game-awards-2010|publisher=1UP.com|accessdate=February 27, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120724082036/http://www.1up.com/news/spike-video-game-awards-2010|archivedate=July 24, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and "PSN Game of the Year 2010" by PlayStation: The Official Magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=PlayStation Game of the Year Awards |magazine=PlayStation: The Official Magazine |date=January 2011}}</ref>

==Filmography== *1998 ''A Bug's Life'', additional character designer, animator (Pixar) *1999 ''Toy Story 2'', additional storyboard artist, animator (Pixar) *2000 ''For the Birds'', animator (Pixar) *2001 ''Monsters, Inc.'', animator (Pixar) *2003 ''Finding Nemo'', animator (Pixar) *2006 ''Cars'', animator (Pixar) *2012 ''Brave'', marketing (Pixar)<ref name=":0">Linkedin.[https://www.linkedin.com/in/tashasounart ''Tasha Sounart’s Linkedin Account''].Retrieved 2025-02-05 – via Linkedin.</ref> *2013 ''Monsters University'', marketing (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2015 ''Inside Out'', marketing (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2015 ''The Good Dinosaur'', marketing (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2016 ''Finding Dory'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2017 ''Cars 3'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2017 ''Coco'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2018 ''Incredibles 2'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2019 ''Toy Story 4'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2020 ''Onward'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2020 ''Soul'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2021 ''Luca'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2022 ''Turning Red'', parks & promo (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2022 ''Lightyear'', parks & promo (Pixar)<ref name=":0" /> *2023 ''Elemental'', theme parks (Pixar)<ref name=":0" />

==Games== *2008 ''Tasha's Game'', artist, animator (Double Fine) *2009 ''Brütal Legend'', lead animator (Double Fine) *2010 ''Costume Quest'', project leader (Double Fine) *2011 ''Iron Brigade'', additional animation (Double Fine) *2011 ''Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster'', additional art (Double Fine)

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== * {{IMDb name|0917140|name=Tasha Sounart}} * {{moby developer|id=341521|name=Tasha Sounart}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20111221094612/http://www.tashasquestlog.com/tagged/comics Tasha's Comic] at the personal blog of Tasha Sounart, Tasha's quest log

{{Double Fine}} {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sounart, Tasha}} Category:American animators Category:American women animators Category:American webcomic creators Category:American storyboard artists Category:American video game designers Category:American video game directors Category:Double Fine people Category:Living people Category:American women video game designers Category:Year of birth missing (living people)