Mayor declares 'Brenda Chapman Weekend' in Lincoln

[May 04, 2013]  Friday afternoon, Logan County native Brenda Chapman was surprised by a visit from Mayor Keith Snyder and Alderwoman Marty Neitzel while Chapman was visiting the Lincoln Theater.

Chapman is the creator and director of the Oscar-winning movie "Brave." The movie was inspired by Chapman's relationship with her daughter, Emma. It is a coming-of-age movie in animated form that addresses the push-pull relationship between a mom and daughter as the daughter grows up and begins to have a mind of her own.

Chapman is in town this weekend to receive an honorary degree from Lincoln College. She spent the afternoon Friday at the theater signing autographs and then spoke briefly before a special showing of the movie.

Just seconds before the movie was set to begin, Snyder and Neitzel stepped up to deliver a proclamation declaring this officially to be "Brenda Chapman Weekend" in the city of Lincoln.

Below is a copy of the proclamation Snyder read aloud:

WHEREAS, Brenda Chapman spent her formative years in Lincoln and Logan County, graduating from Lincoln Community High School and Lincoln College, before pursuing her dreams and earning a bachelor’s degree in character animation from the California Institute of the Arts; and

WHEREAS, Brenda began her career with Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios playing key roles in such memorable films as The Little Mermaid, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Beauty and the Beast, helped launch DreamWorks Animation Studios in 1994, and joined Pixar Studios in 2003; and

WHEREAS, it was at Pixar when Brenda found the inspiration in the person of her daughter, Emma, for the development of a contemporary fairy tale that today’s working mothers and daughters could relate to, and that would come to be known as Brave; and

WHEREAS, Brenda was able to celebrate with Emma and a worldwide audience on Sunday, February 24, 2013, when she received an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Brave; and

WHEREAS, Brenda can lay claim to many firsts for women in animation – she was the first woman head of story for The Lion King; she was the first woman to land a directing role in an animated feature for a major studio when she was one in a team of three directors on The Prince of Egypt; she became Pixar's first female director when she was handed the helm of Brave; and she was the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature; and

WHEREAS, Brenda is passionate about the film and animation industries, about women in film and tech, about learning and mentoring young people, and about featuring and supporting people who do good work, good deeds, and have good ideas; and

WHEREAS, Lincoln is proud to have Brenda in town to pay tribute to the beautiful redevelopment of Lincoln Theater 4, to receive an honorary degree from Lincoln College, and to be the commencement speaker for the College’s 146th commencement exercises this weekend; and

WHEREAS, Brenda’s Twitter page contains perhaps the best reasons for bestowing this honor in that it describes her as a "lover of life, laughs, and an excellent juggler."

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED by Keith Snyder, Mayor of the City of Lincoln, that Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, are hereby proclaimed as "Brenda Chapman Weekend" in Lincoln, Illinois as a tribute to Brenda and her success as an animator, director, and mom; and be it further

PROCLAIMED, that the People of Lincoln are encouraged to celebrate "Brenda Chapman Weekend" by enjoying one or more of her movies, engaging in personal expressions of creativity, imagination, and storytelling, and supporting and encouraging young people to do the same.

[LDN with copy of proclamation by Lincoln Mayor Keith Snyder]