Animator's Breakfast

Will Finn has definitely animated a movie from your childhood. Joining the industry in 1979, despite being told that Animation was dead. He sweated his way up the ranks, being taught by the last remnants of the Nine Old Men. Nobody knew where the industry was going but having put in the work through the difficult period, he was ready to sink his teeth into great characters during the renaissance, like Cogsworth or Iago. Getting to talk to Will is such an amazing treat for me, he’s such a deep treasure trove of insider information across many studios and he’s kind enough to share all that throughout this podcast. Styling himself similar to Grandpa Simpson, recounting his tales. True to form, Will surprised me when he wanted to talk about not just one, but two Disney features of the 60’s: Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book. These are a few of the things we talked about: The difficulty animation faced in the 1970s Why Sword in the Stone was everyone’s favourite film to work on How The Jungle Book worked where The Sword in the Stone didn’t & so much more! I’m really excited to hear your thoughts after listening to us ramble on!

Oscar nominated director Andrew Chesworth has such an interesting career. He worked at Disney animating on Frozen, Feast, Big Hero Six, Zootopia, Moana, Get a Horse! to name a few, before working with SPA Studios on Klaus and Ember, as well as directing two of my all time favourite animated shorts: One Small Step and The Brave Locomotive. Sitting down with Andrew was a great privilege, especially when he told me he wanted to talk about Disney’s 1940 Pinocchio. Often overlooked in the oeuvre of early Disney animated features, Pinocchio is a true tour de force in pushing the medium forward. More expensive than the highly successful Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, you can see no corners were cut with Pinocchio. Approaching with the mentality of no limitations, Walt Disney and his team were firing on all cylinders, finding a strong moral story, complex characters with distinct personalities mixed with incredible technical innovations as well as standout artistry in animation. These are a few of the things we talked about: The making of One Small Step and The Brave Locomotive The stylistic approach of each animator, including the criminally overlooked Art Babbitt and Bill Tytla. Irony at the base level of Pinocchio and the dangerous world that lurks in every corner & so much more! I’m really excited to hear your thoughts after listening to us ramble on!

Tom Bancroft needs no introduction, but I’ll try to briefly summarise his career. Graduating from CalArts he was catapulted in Disney Animation at the beginning of its Renaissance. Working on nearly every film of that time. Animating Iago, Young Simba, Pocahontas and Mushu to name a few. Currently directing Light of the World with John Schaffer as well as bring CEO of Pencilish Studios and a creator of MerMay. He previously created the documentary Pencils vs. Pixels about the rise of 3D as it stole the light of hand drawn animation’s rebirth. Speaking to Tom on this podcast was amazing. I’d recently gotten to help them with their famous Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast while they were here in Dublin. I was even more delighted when Tom chose to talk about Animation Legend, Glen Keane. I can’t think of another artist today who’s soul speaks from their pencil. His legacy is vast, so Tom chose to talk about the rise of Glen Keane in Disney during the 80s and 90s. These are a few of the things we talked about: The making of Mulan in Florida Glen Keane’s work on the Bear in The Fox and the Hound and Ratigan Why Glen is a fine artist disguised as an animator & so much more! I’m really excited to hear your thoughts after listening to us ramble on!

Three time Oscar nominated director, Tomm Moore has been drawing for decades, but he has never stopped growing. Recently, after the release of Wolfwalkers, he took a sabbatical to study Life Drawing in Paris and Amsterdam, seeing his growth is inspiring. Having Tomm on the podcast again was a huge privilege for me. Last February, I ventured down to Kilkenny to pick his brain about the nature of drawing. Originally this was intended to be a short discussion that I could pull moments from, but I loved the whole conversation so much I had to share it with you all. Every time I speak with him, I’m reminded of the depth of his thoughts and care in his expression. His understanding of art and how he communicates that is so honest. I know in another year I’ll still come to new understandings of his musings. These are a few of the things we talked about: Actionable tips for improving drawing practice How style is defined by your limitations (Incredible thought) Animation is collaborative but Drawing is individual & so much more! I’m excited to hear your thoughts after listening to this!

Rotoscoping is far from dead, and these two men prove it. Co-Directors of The Spine of Night, Morgan Galen King (Mongrel, Exordium) and Philip Gelatt (Europa Report, Love, Death and Robots) join me to discuss the cult film that hasn’t left them since childhood, Heavy Metal. Getting to share in conversation with them about Heavy Metal was a dream come true. The passion, thoughtfulness and humour they approach the film through was a joy to witness, especially as their suggestion of the film finally gave me creedence to watch it. I’m delighted to have shared this discussion with them about: Approaching storytelling in an Anthology series How Heavy Metal came into their lives on VHS How they referenced Heavy Metal in the Spine of Night The Importance of music in stitching disparate elements together & so much more in this conversation! I’m excited to hear your opinions and thoughts! __________ Find more of Morgan’s work here: https://www.youtube.com/@GorgonautAnimation

Visual development and concept artist who has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. Kamille Rogriguez is a thoughtful, passionate and incredibly hard working artist. It didn’t come easy to her but she knew if she didn’t pursue her art, she would always regret it. It’s my true pleasure to speak to Kamille on the podcast today. Her choice caught me off guard, but I was delighted to revisit Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. I’m grateful to have shared this discussion with her about: - Always knowing the direction of your path in life - Talent is only a small part of success, Hard work is crucial - The impact Fern Gully had on our development (me too) - Drawing from Imagination vs needing real references & so much more in this conversation! I’m excited to hear your opinions and thoughts! Find Kamille’s incredible work here: https://kamillustrator.com https://www.instagram.com/kamillustrator?igshid=ZGNjOWZkYTE3MQ==

This was recorded in the Summer before the recent bloodshed in Gaza. When I first saw Jana Kattan’s graduate film, Checkpoint I was struck by the authenticity in which she weaved a simple story filled with heartbreak. There is a reality integral to Checkpoint I couldn’t articulate but it made me pay attention to her strong, honest and empathetic voice. As she describes, she only became aware she was Palestinian later in her life and the search for an identity that came with that has lent her an unparalleled empathy matched with an iron resolve to tell the story of her people. Along that line, she chose to discuss The Tower by Norwegian film maker Mats Grorud. This is a film about a young girl called Wardi who is asking similar questions, why did they leave their home to move to Lebanon and why can’t they just go back. Grorud weaves a masterful tale of events as seen through young Wardi’s eyes, moving up the tower they live in, layer by layer, uncovering history and trauma but also joy in loving their lives. The Tower is currently a difficult film to locate on streaming but if you dig deep enough, your efforts will be rewarded. _________________ The Tower Trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec8ahECKpQE&ab_channel=Unifrance] Watch Checkpoint here: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBBY6EQe4gk&t=] Find more about Jana here: https://janakattan10.myportfolio.com/home ------------------------------ Animator’s Breakfast is part of Any-mation and hosted and edited by Cole Delaney.

Welcome to the final episode of Animator's Breakfast, for now! What an episode it is. I'm hugely humbled to be joined with one of the greatest living animators, James Baxter. You might know him as a horse on a ball making people happy, but James has been working in the industry for over 30 years, starting on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He's responsible for some of the most beautifully animated moments in animation history, including Belle and the Beast dancing in the ball room, or Quasimodo carrying Esmeralda up to the top of Notre Dame. The list of his phenomenal work goes on. Today we're talking about Bambi, well as much Bambi as we can apart from me picking his brain about his process. Bambi was the 5th feature film released by Walt Disney Animation, and it's legacy speaks for itself. Really, with Bambi, the Disney studio's leapt so far ahead from other animation competitors, and cemented itself as a powerhouse when it comes to Animation. The film's tough and rigorous development process laid down a foundation that has forever changed the animation landscape. Check out Jame's legendary work here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2iDOfRW1WWu5SxgJJpP1g ---------------------------------------------- Animator’s Breakfast is part of Any-mation and hosted and edited by Cole Delaney. Support this podcast and other work on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/anymation

Welcome to the next episode of Animator's Breakfast. On this episode I'm joined by the fantastic Jessie Smith, aka The Joopis. She's a really talented designer, animator and has a really wonderful Youtube channel where she uploads very original and interesting work.  Today we're discussing The Last Unicorn, a 1983 film produced by Rankin/Bass. The power of their studio in the 70s and 80s can't be understated, and although they made classic stop motion works like Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer, their feature output combed through classic fantasy tales. The Last Unicorn is based on a book by Peter S. Beagle, which is widely considered to be one of the best Fantasy novels ever written. The animated work tried to stick as close to the source material as possible in classic Rankin/Bass style.  Please find out more about Jessie on her channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJoopis ---------------------------------------------- Animator’s Breakfast is part of Any-mation and hosted and edited by Cole Delaney. Support this podcast and other work on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/anymation

Welcome back to Animator's Breakfast. In our 6th episode, we discuss the heartbreaking Grave of the Fireflies.  An amazing animated film in many ways, it was directed by the legendary Isao Takahata, as his first feature for Studio Ghibli. It was featured as a double bill with My Neighbour Totoro in 1988. The feature still stands the test of time and its spotlight on Setsuko and Seita's journey is a tale that shouldn't be missed.  I'm joined by the incredible Sean Mullen, one of the creative leads of Giant Animation. He recently co-directed The Overcoat, producing the CG portion of the short. Giant are a studio I've long admired for the quality work they've been producing here in Ireland. I'd highly recommend checking out Geist and The Overcoat.  You can visit their website here: http://giant.ie/animation/  ---------------------------------------------- Animator’s Breakfast is part of Any-mation and hosted and edited by Cole Delaney. Support this podcast and other work on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/anymation

Welcome to the fourth episode of Animator's Breakfast, one I'm really delighted to share! This episode is a bit different in that it's a conversation with both the incredibly talented boys of BaM Animation, Brent Noll and Maximus Pauson.  This is the first of two conversations we have, and this time Max chose to discuss a character, rather than just an animation. Character design is really important and what greater mascot to pick than Garfield the cat. He holds the Guinness World Record for most syndicated comic strip in the world, and even current iterations of animated work broadcast in China. Garfield's reach is incredible, and known globally. So in this episode we dive into how Garfield began and became the cultural tour de force he still is! It's super interesting.  Brent and Max are really talented artists who have been working in the American Animation industry for years. Their greatest hit is an amazing YouTube channel called BaM Animation, where they give professional and fun tips as to how to improve your work if you want to approach working in the industry. I'm sure you've already checked them out, and if not, please do here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Qvpti1dS1KKC7PLyLl__g  Also for the sources Max discussed, please check them out here: Quinton Reviews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM0V8r4kuIWIl6Sy-NHj2lg/videos  Wizard and The Bruiser - Garfield: https://soundcloud.com/wizbru/garfield  Wizard and The Bruiser - Doritos and Mountain Dew: https://soundcloud.com/wizbru/doritos-mountain-dew  Garfield Timeline: https://garfield.com/history  Vice Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLe5gN7ZADU  ---------------------------------------------- Animator’s Breakfast is part of Any-mation and hosted and edited by Cole Delaney. Support this podcast and other work on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/anymation

Welcome back to Animator's Breakfast, my monthly podcast. In our second episode I was gifted the chance to watch the original 1964 Jonny Quest tv series by Hanna-Barbera.  I'm joined by Dan Nosella who picked the series out of his past and influenced his drive toward comics and ultimately moving across to the Animation Industry. The original Jonny Quest is an incredible programme, a globe trotting adventure to show everyone the wonders of the world outside, filled with science and adventure, very akin to Tintin. Of course it has many issues that really date the show.  Dan is the series director on Doc McStuffins currently, and works in Brown Bag Films here in Ireland, I'm very honoured he gave up his time from a busy schedule to meet me and discuss Jonny Quest.  You can find more of Dan's work at https://storiesbydan-blog.tumblr.com/  ---------------------------------------------- Animator’s Breakfast is part of Any-mation and hosted and edited by Cole Delaney. Support this podcast and other work on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/anymation