a sense of weight and power to her presence (as she weighs a few tons). The team worked closely with animators to run a series of animation tests until Pepita was perfected into a living breathing alebrije.

One thing you'll notice in the various clips and trailers of Coco, is that the Land of the Dead is set at night. The twinkling lights of the skeletal city illuminate the scenes creating a beautiful and inviting world. The filmmakers decided that the spirit guides in the Land of the Dead should also have a certain fluorescent glow to them. Working closely with the Shading and Lighting Departments, the team highlighted key features of Pepita (as well as the other spirit guides in the Land of the Dead) and enhanced herWhat will Columbia’s new Center for Palestine Studies become?

The October launch of Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies (CPS), the first institution at an American university specifically dedicated to the study of Palestinian Arabs, received surprisingly little notice. Middle East–related brawls on Columbia’s campus have often captured national attention, featuring accusations of anti-Semitism lobbed at professors (recall the alleged bullying of Jewish and pro-Israel students in 2004 by Professor Joseph Massad) and controversial speaking engagements (for example, Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejadin September of 2007). Despite this tumultuous track record, the CPS opening took place without disruption. Paraphrasing Columbia University film professor James Schamus—a faculty member associated with the CPS—The Forward characterized the opening as “a new moment of civility” and a re-dedication to “open and courteous dialogue” on