Doug Sweetland most prominently credits his Academy Award nomination to the birth of his 3-year-old son.

The 1992 State College Area High School graduate and animator at Pixar Animation Studios said his greatest source of inspiration for writing and directing Presto -- nominated for Best Animated Short this Sunday -- came when he took a year-long sabbatical to transition to writing and directing cartoons, during which his son was born.

"Having a child was the best training I ever could've had," Doug, 34, said. "[Directing] brings you out of yourself and makes you attentive to the more immediate needs of the project. That's also what having a son is like."

Presto, Doug's directorial debut, is a five-minute silent film about a rabbit who fakes his death to exact revenge on an arrogant magician who mistreated him. The film played before the theatrical release of Wall-E, nominated for Best Animated Feature.

Doug, who lives in San Francisco, makes biannual visits to State College to visit family. In October, he spoke at State College Area High School to discuss the difference between animation and writing and directing.

Doug's mother, Diane Sweetland, said she is thrilled he is pursuing his dream. As a child, Doug drew cartoons for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts for several years, Diane said.

"It's like he was born with a pen and pencil in his hand," Diane said.

Although he demonstrated skill early on, Doug's career wasn't always a clear-cut pathway for success.

In 1994, Doug was attending California Institute of the Arts, as well as browsing job opportunities at animation companies. Meanwhile, the Northridge earthquake diffused through Southern California and subsequently narrowed Doug's premature job search to Northern California where he accepted an offer from Pixar, a fledgling CGI animation company at the time.

"A tragedy turned into a blessing," Diane said.

Since Doug joined Pixar, he helped animate Toy Story, the company's first feature film, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life and Finding Nemo. But the big jump arose when he sought to direct.

"It is a real struggle and a real search to improve the story on your own, so each film is an enormous team effort," Doug said. "By being under that discipline, that is why Pixar's films are so widely enjoyed."

If Doug were to win an Oscar, his mother said she expects a nationally televised 'thank you.'

"He's always mentioned us when he has been given awards in the past," Diane said. "If he forgets to, it would be because of a nervous slip. He's always been appreciative of our support."