Follow the ‘More’ link for the transcript of a press release announcing the opening of a new animation studio, Toonacious Family Entertainment, by Disney director and animator, Tony Bancroft, who has contributed to such features as The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan, and Home on the Range and who won the 2003 Visual Effects Society Award for his animation supervision on Stuart Little 2. Bancroft seeks, along with his colleagues, to provide quality, values-based entertainment through traditional, hand-drawn animation along with some computer animation.
June 14, 2004
Tony Bancroft, former Disney Director and Animator, Opens New Studio Ready to Develop, Produce and Complete Your Next Animation Project
Burbank, CA – After twelve years with Walt Disney Feature Animation and a career that includes principal character creation, animation supervising and co-directing, Tony Bancroft has started Toonacious Family Entertainment. The company, located in Burbank, CA, develops and produces original animation projects as well as, offering a full range of services including 2D, CG, and Flash animation production capabilities.
Bancroft is best known as the co-director of Walt Disney’s 36th animated classic Mulan, but he is also known as the creator of Pumbaa – the warthog in The Lion King and the lovable, bumbling guard Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove. Prior to starting Toonacious, Bancroft served as the Animation Supervisor on Sony Pictures’ Stuart Little 2.
Bancroft and his two partners (Ben Chambers and Bo Ferger) started Toonacious Family Entertainment for the purpose of offering quality family entertainment through independently produced products and providing creative development concepts for third party producers. Toonacious has released two episodes of an original series, Lenny & Sid, which are available nationwide and is currently developing two animated feature film concepts as well as direct-to-video projects.
“We want to produce solid family entertainment parents can trust and kids will love,” says Bancroft, “and we believe the unique set of talents that we have assembled at Toonacious will allow us to accomplish just that, while providing support to others who have that same vision.”
As entertainment continues to change, Bancroft and the staff at Toonacious Family Entertainment believe families are still interested in quality programs with positive messages.
For more information about Toonacious Family Entertainment contact Douglas Ford at 818.845.0555 x 208.
