Directing for Animation: Everything You Didn't Learn in Art School

Tony Bancroft, director of Disney's Mulan, is an award-winning animator whose work is well-known to animation audiences. He served as supervising animator on new Disney classics The Lion King and The Emperor's New Groove, for which he created the recognizable characters Pumbaa and Kronk. Tony started his career studying character animation at the world-renowned California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and went on to spend 12 years being mentored through the ranks of Walt Disney Feature Animation. He has gained experience in every artistic position from assistant animator to director, serving as the animation supervisor over all CG characters in Stuart Little 2 (Sony), and gaining directorial credits on numerous animated commercials for Disney, Hasbro, and others. Bancroft's years of experience have culminated in the founding of his own animation studio, Toonacious Family Entertainment, where he directs and produces commercials and direct-to-DVD projects. A multiple animation award-winner, Bancroft's proudest moment came when he was given the Annie award for Best Director for his work on Disney's Mulan.