North for the Winter:
Spotlight on Bobby Podesta
October 25, 2025 - March 8, 2026
The Cartoon Art Museum proudly presents North for the Winter, a spotlight on the debut graphic novel by cartoonist Bobby Podesta. The veteran animator returns to his ink-on-paper roots for an ambitious tale of mystery, childhood, and holiday magic in an epic tale published this fall by First Second Books. A selection of Podesta’s favorite original artwork from the book will be on display alongside the classic artwork showcased in the museum’s ongoing Treasury of Animation exhibition throughout the winter months.
reception and book signing with Bobby Podesta
Sunday, December 14th 4pm to 6pm.
this event is free and open to the public.
About North for the Winter
What would you think if you saw a reindeer fly? When this happens to Virginia, she isn’t sure what to do – she’s just lost her mom, she’s in a new city, and everything seems so hard. But when she reluctantly confesses what she saw to her neighbor, Benny, he’s convinced that flying reindeer can only mean one thing: this is Santa business.
In this stunning graphic novel debut from Pixar animator Bobby Podesta, two kids and a lost reindeer go up against obsessive hunters, suspiciously convincing department store elves, and radar operators for the Continental Air Defense Command Center. No matter the odds, Virginia’s going to get Christmas back on track!
About Bobby Podesta
Bobby Podesta has been drawing cartoons for longer than he can remember and published his first newspaper comic strip while still in high school. After attending college at CalArts, Bobby began working at Pixar Animation Studios, where he has contributed as an Animator, Story Artist, Supervising Animator, and Director on several of their films and series. North for the Winter is his graphic novel debut and will be published by First Second Books in the fall of 2025. Bobby lives in Oakland, California with his wife, daughter, son, some chickens, a spoiled cat, and a pretty cute dog. He still draws cartoons every day.
