In the field on animation, few in Singapore have built up a resume as impressive as Samantha Suyi Lee. The Singaporean animator has worked as story artist on a number of high-profile projects including Netflix's Centaurworld, Warner Bros. Entertainment's DC League of Super-Pets, and Dreamworks' Cleopatra in Space, just to name a few. Currently, she is hard at work on Sony Pictures' highly anticipated feature film, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse.
However, even among those impressive list of credits, her work as director and storyboard artist on the acclaimed Disney Television Animation series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur stands out. And it appears that the esteemed voters at National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences agree, because Lee has just been honoured with the Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for an Animated Series on Saturday, 15 March.
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She won the award for her wonderful efforts in episode 14 of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’s second season entitled 'The Molecular Level'. The show also triumphed in other categroies including Best Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series and Best Writing for a Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series.
Based on the popular Marvel comic of the same name, the series follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex, Devil Dinosaur. After Lunella accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York City via a portal, the duo work together to protect the city's Lower East Side from danger.
"This Children and Family Emmy win is such an honour for me and the crew. Every episode a production crew releases is a vessel carrying not just a message, but so much love and joy poured in from every person who had a part in it. And we can only hope that when you watch Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur do their magical thing, that love and joy reaches you," Lee shares.
"Personally, this win also means a lot to me as a Singaporean artist in animation. I’m claiming this one for my country. I hope Singapore continues to support our local artists and the powerful, compelling stories we want to tell. There are gems far more talented than I walking about on that Little Red Dot that just need the opportunity to shine."
Lee first cut her teeth in animation at local 3D animation studio One Animation where she worked a variety of projects. Most notably, she was the lead storyboard artist for Singaporean series Oddbods, which was nominated at The International Emmy Kids Awards three times in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
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