Academy Award nominee for animated short film 'Ninety-Five Senses' is from Melbourne

It was in a classroom at West Shore Jr./Sr. High where Michael Grover realized maybe he could turn his fascination and love for animation into a career.

A career that now includes an Oscar nomination.

“I took a computer graphics class from Mr. Jim Finch and that was my introduction to using computers and technology for art,” said Grover, now a 32-year-old Melbourne resident. “That made it seem more attainable, that I could get into animation and work on art every day.”

Fifteen years after graduating from high school, it’s pretty safe to say Grover attained that goal.

Grover is nominated for an Oscar for his work on the animated short film, "Ninety-Five Senses." The 96th annual Academy Awards airs at 7 p.m. EST Sunday, March 10, on ABC.

“It’s pretty unreal because this is considered the pinnacle of entertainment,” Grover said. “I feel very lucky, very honored to be attached to this.”

Here's what we know about "Ninety-Five Senses," Academy Award nominee Michael Grover of Melbourne, Florida, and the Oscars awards show.

What is the Oscar-nominated short 'Ninety-Five Senses' about?

The 13-minute film "Ninety-Five Senses," created by Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess of "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre" fame, was inspired by interview footage of a Texas death-row inmate awaiting execution. Michael Grover and four other animators were tasked with capturing feelings of regret and redemption through the five senses.

Grover had about one minute of time to work his magic through the sense of hearing.

“The directors gave us a long leash, and I was able to come up with my own design and visual,” Grover said. “The concept of having each animator doing things in their own style is a creative risk. It all came together really nicely. The script is great, really empathetic and human.”

Kevin Costner film about NASA was nominated for a screenplay Oscar. 'Hidden Figures' writer Allison Schroeder grew up in Florida

Michael Grover of Melbourne, Florida, is nominated for an Academy Award for 'Ninety-Five Senses.' Where did he go to high school?

Grover said his six years at West Shore Jr./Sr. High in Melbourne were instrumental in forming his path. Aside from taking Finch’s classes all four years of high school, Grover also illustrated comics for the school newspaper.

He said journalism teacher Mark Schledorn was supportive of his craft from a young age. The teachers and student recently reunited at West Shore in the classroom where Grover fostered his talents.

“This guy was legit,” Schledorn recalled. “He had game really, really early.”Finch pulled out some of Grover’s work that he’s saved over the years, proudly showing it off. On the back of one, Grover wrote “Special thanks to Mr. Finch.”

“It almost gets you choked up,” Finch said. “I love it. This is why we do this.”

After graduating from West Shore, Grover went to school at Brigham Young University where he got a degree in animation. He went on a church mission in Thailand for two years, and then worked as a freelance animator for a while.

In 2018, he moved to Tampa with his wife and children and was employed by an ad agency, but it wasn’t fulfilling his creative juices. He moved his family back to Brevard a few years later and returned to the freelance world.

That’s when one of his former professors recommended him for the "Ninety-Five Senses" project.

What’s next for Michael Grover, Oscar nominee for 'Ninety-Five Senses?'

Some kind of Oscar-watching party will take place the evening of Sunday, March 10. Grover will watch it with his wife, four children and parents, who live in the same Suntree house he was raised in.

Whatever happens at the awards show, Grover’s guaranteed a trophy.

“My parents bought me a little (imitation) Oscar statue when I was nominated,” Grover said. “They’ve always been extremely supportive.”

He’s been busy working on a graphic novel that will come out next year. "Deeply Dave," published by Henry Holt Books, is geared for children ages 8 to 12 – about the age Grover was when he realized his dream was attainable.

“I think if kids are interested in art, then creating their own projects and finishing their own projects is the best thing they can be doing,” Grover said. “Don’t just doodle. For my senior project (at West Shore) I made a five-minute, animated film. It taught me structure and deadlines. That project was a big steppingstone for me. It’s surreal to think where I am now.”

Allison Schroeder, another Melbourne, Florida, high school graduate, was nominated for an Academy Award

In 2017, Brevard native Allison Schroeder was nominated for an Academy Award. The 1997 Melbourne High School graduate was up for Best Adapted Screenplay for writing “Hidden Figures,” which stars Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Glenn Powell and Oscar winners Octavia Spencer and Kevin Costner.

Schroeder lost to the writers of “Moonlight.”

The screenplay for “Hidden Figures” was based on the book of the same name, written by Margot Lee Shetterly. Growing up on the Space Coast, writing “Hidden Figures” was a familiar topic for Schroeder, a self-proclaimed “NASA baby.”

Schroeder attended Gemini Elementary School and Hoover Middle School in Indialantic. Her grandparents worked for NASA and Schroeder herself worked there during high school for the NASA nurture program.

Contributing: Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY Network-Florida

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 2024 Oscars: Animated short film 'Ninety-Five Senses' has Florida tie