She loved watching Disney animated films as a child and once worked long "9-to-7" days as a visual effects artist. She is a devoted fan of Hayao Miyazaki and a scholar with a strong voice in film studies. She is Dr. Ang Bin Yee, lecturer at the School of Communication, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM).

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Ang Bin Yee earned her PhD in Film Studies from Queen Mary University of London in March 2025. She then joined XMUM as a senior lecturer, teaching film communication, screen studies, and broadcast advertising.

To her students, Dr. Ang is "passionate" "fun" and "approachable" - so much so that she doesn't seem like a newcomer. But 15 years ago, the thought of being a beloved lecturer would have seemed impossible to Ang Bin Yee, the visual effects artist.

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Ang Bin Yee grew up as a "screen child." With parents busy at work, films and animations became her primary window to the world. At age seven, while watching the end credits of Disney's Snow White, she discovered behind-the-scenes footage of animation production. Watching pencil sketches come alive on screen, she realized, "This is the path I want to follow in life."

However, her ambition was not yet academic. After completing her undergraduate studies, she joined Rhythm & Hues, one of the world's largest visual effects studios. There, she worked on computer-generated animals in films such as Life of Pi and Seventh Son.

In 2012, Life of Pi won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Tragically, Rhythm & Hues closed soon after, prompting Ang Bin Yee to rethink her career.

Recalling her love for literature and film, she pursued a Master's degree in Film and Screen Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London - not to plan her career, but to deepen her understanding of film, animation, and their underlying philosophy.

After graduation, encouraged by her mother, she entered teaching. She soon discovered immense satisfaction in guiding students. This "learn while teaching" phase led her to Queen Mary University of London, where she worked as a teaching assistant while completing her PhD. She successfully defended her thesis in March 2025.

During her PhD, Ang Bin Yee turned her VFX experience into research questions. She asked: If technology can create hyper-realistic digital animals, why do films still use real animals? Does digital technology bring humans closer to nature, or create distance?

In search of answers, she engaged with philosophers such as Martin Heidegger and Simone Weil. Weil's idea that "Every separation is a link" helped her see the relationship between technology and nature, virtual and real, as interconnected rather than binary.

She does not see digital technology as a cold substitute, but as another way of perceiving. Digital animals may reduce direct human-animal interaction, but they can also provoke reflection on our relationship with the natural world.

Her research extends to Taoist philosophy and Japanese animism, exploring non-anthropocentric perspectives. She also interviewed international VFX and animation professionals to understand the creative, ethical, and technical decisions behind digital animals. Her findings have been presented at conferences in the US and the UK, and published in academic papers on transnational cinema, ecological criticism, and animal ethics.

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Ang Bin Yee at Queen Mary University of London

Returning to Malaysia in 2025, Ang Bin Yee joined XMUM and embraced opportunities as they came. She values students who are friendly, diligent, and earnest.

In her classroom, theory meets practice: students watch films, shoot short videos, and read philosophy, exploring the interplay of light, sound, and ideas.

"I want my classroom to feel like an art gallery: each student is a unique work of art, expressing their inner world freely," she explains. Ang Bin Yee prioritizes creativity and originality over technical perfection. She hopes to help students polish their "raw gems" into authentic expressions of thought and imagination.

She describes her colleagues as "people who support each other through change" rather than mere coworkers, emphasizing mutual understanding in a fast-evolving academic environment.

Outside work, Ang Bin Yee enjoys watching films and animations, listening to music, drawing, and taking quiet walks at sunset - simple routines that recharge her and deepen her understanding of the world.

Personal experiences, like the loss of a beloved pet, have inspired her research on digital animals. In 2015, she delivered her artwork in person to Hayao Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli, a moment she calls life-changing.

Today, she continues to integrate these experiences into teaching and research, exploring the relationships between humans, animals, and technology - and, ultimately, the broader natural world.

Every creation, observation, and interaction with students is a chance to connect with the world. For her, these connections are life's most precious miracles.

(Contributed by Zhang Xincheng)