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!