Disney characters by TOM and TONY BANCROFT

      Twin brothers Tom and Tony Bancroft grew up wanting to be cartoonists like Charles Schulz. They ended up going to CalArts to study character animation and went to work for Disney Animation Studios even before graduating. Striking out on their own, they've pursued a number of creative endeavors. Tom and Tony host The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast. Interview subjects include directors Brad Bird and Pete Docter, animators Andreas Deja, and Eric Goldberg, and Glen Keane, and designers Terryl Whitlatch and Victoria Ying. My brother Stuart sponsors some of the podcasts. Tom and Tony are exhibitors at CTNX Animation Expo in November.

      Tom Bancroft is an animator and print cartoonist. He was supervising animator for the dragon Mushu in Disney's Mulan. Tom created Larryboy for Veggietales. He is the creator of the Opposite Forces comic book which featured covers by J. Scott Campbell and Frank Cho. He's written the instructional books Creating Characters with Personality and Character Mentor: Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life. Tom writes and draws the Outnumbered webcomic. He has founded Taught by a Pro, an online series of art instruction by Ruben Aquino, Tom Bancroft, Tony Bancroft, Sandro Cleuzo, Terry Dodson, Michel Gagne, John Pomeroy, and Tom Richmond. I first met Tom when he was an exhibitor at San Diego in 2002.

      Tony Bancroft was co-director on Disney's Mulan and director of the English translation version of Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso. Tony also has his Lenny & Sid animated DVD from Toonacious Family Entertainment. He wrote Directing for Animation: Everything You Didn't Learn in Art School from Focal Press in 2013. I found it helpful in understanding the animation process better and loved the interviews with Dean Deblois, Pete Docter, Eric Goldberg, Tim Miller, John Musker,Jennifer Yuh Nelson, Nick Park, and Chris Wedge. I met Tony when he was hanging out at Tom's booth at SDCC.