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Chunky Puffs! YUM! YUM! YUM!
Have a Happy! Says' Brian Mitchell!
Ed, Edd n Eddy
1999-2009
November 11, 2016
JXP: How did you gain the interest of animation?
BRIAN: I come from the last of the old school animation people, who were influenced by the great animators of the 1930s thru the 70’s. I, like you, would actually contact these guys, in the hope that some of their magic could be passed down. Although I either talked with or wrote these people, Preston Blair was the only one that really helped me understand cartoon animation. You may have heard of Preston Blair. If not, look him up. He was an important animator, not only for his part in certain Disney and MGM cartoons, but for authoring two books that were for the most part, the only sort of training guides for young people wanting to make a career in animated cartoons!
JXP: Any influences that may have helped your craft?
BRIAN: The ones that actually helped me refine my animation technique was John Pomeroy, Lorna Pomeroy Cook, Linda Miller and Ken Boyer among others. John Pomeroy compared my talent to Fred Moore when I was just 18 which was a huge compliment, which I didn’t realize at the time.
JXP: What was your first steps in starting the animation industry?
BRIAN: I had a raw drawing ability that I was able to develop at Art Students League in New York with the last of the great master artists of that school. I had worked at some small animation studios in New York between 1982 and 1987, however, my big break came when Ralph Bakshi hired me to be a character designer at his Studio. When I arrived, the job title was switched to Character Layout Artist (Jeff Pidgeon of Pixar fame ended up with the Character Design job). Within a few years, I landed a job as a junior animator (I never went through the apprenticeship inbetweener period like many others).
JXP: What has been your favorite project to work on?
BRIAN: I’m sure you’ve heard other people say that their favorite project is always the current one. I guess I had the most fun working with Ralph Bakshi and John Kricfalusi on Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures. It was my first big animation job and one where I got to really influence the humor. I enjoyed working at Sullivan Bluth for different reasons, mainly because I was animating. The satisfaction of seeing something you animated on the big screen is quite a thrill, however it wasn’t a fun place to work. When I went to work for Warners on Tiny Toon Adventures, I felt like my work was really appreciated and I very much enjoyed the experience, but unfortunately, when we moved on to Animaniacs, there was more on the line to follow up Tiny Toons with a worthy successor, which created an aire of tension. I was active in the development of that show and developed the walk cycles for Yakko, Wakko and Dot and even influenced some storylines of Pinky and The Brain and the personalities of the Warner Bros. Others have taken most of the credit which is understandable, but the Pinky and The Brain episode ‘Win Big’ and ‘Billy Bo Bob Bob Brain (not sure if that was the title of that episode)” were ideas that I threw out in a hallway meeting with Eddie Fitzgerald. When Tom Ruegger came in looking for an angle on how we saw the personalities of the Warner Brothers, I threw out the idea that I saw them kind of like ‘The Marx Bros.” It was never mentioned again, but sure enough the idea that these characters were locked up in the WB Water Tower in the 30’s because the characters were too wild and crazy plays into that idea of who The Marx Bros. were.
JXP: Have you ever tried construction as a kid?
BRIAN: You mean Cartoon construction? Not when I was drawing for my own entertainment. But as I got serious about it, I found a little book called Cartoon Animation By Preston Blair that had introduced me to construction of characters with shapes. When I started to use those principles, my drawings got better and more solid. It’s important to have structure to your drawings so that they become more believable.
JXP: Favorite cartoons as a kid?
BRIAN: Early on….Casper, Mighty Mouse, Popeye, Beany and Cecil , Gumby, (Clay Animation), then a few years later…. Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Disney animated features. I loved Ludwig Von Drake on the Disney TV show and Tom and Jerry. I watched Hanna Barbera cartoons like Yogi Bear, Magilla Gorilla, The Flintstones and The Jetsons, but then again, you asked me about my favorites…
JXP: You also developed a studio back in the day called Fantasimation Animation Studios with another animator with Mike Faiella. What was the purpose of it and how was the animation made because the old website plays the videos with Shockwave files?
BRIAN: Well, long story….I had a show idea that I wanted to pitch, about a guy that looked like a clown who hung out with his idiot buddy and continuously screwed up everything in their lives. It was slapstick comedy and I wanted to produce a pilot cartoon. I had a small studio in the same office building with my Cartoon School and I knew Mike; he owned the printing shop upstairs, but had another office directly across the hall from me. We developed a friendship since he was a fan of Disney. Whenever I needed material printed up, I’d bring it to him. Eventually I showed him some of my concepts for my cartoon idea and he suggested that since he was involved with computers and had a working knowledge of graphics, he could help me produce it. So we partnered to form Fantasimation Animation Studios. Animation was done conventionally with an animation program serving as the ink and paint and camera functions. Everything was hand done, except for some random Computer Animation that another studio supplied us with. At the time, everything was converted to Shockwave files for the website, however, the files ran slow as molasses. Our studio reel was distributed directly to agents and studios on VHS video tape (this was back in the late 90’s)
JXP: You also taught an animator named Kyle Carrozza who is known for creating Cartoon Network's Mighty Magiswords. Is this true? If so, how did you guys meet?
BRIAN: I do know Kyle Carrozza; I helped teach him animation when he was in his late teens. Kyle had relatives on Long Island where I was based, Kyle lived in upstate New York (about 3 hours away). His relatives told him that I had a cartoon school in Levittown, NY and he signed up for classes in the summer months. He floored me when he came into the first class because he knew every show and movie I worked on! He knew things I had forgotten. It was scary…this was before the internet really took off…not like it is today. Kyle was already doing his songs and drew really fast.
JXP: What was Kyle like and your opinion on his TV show, Mighty Magiswords?
BRIAN: Kyle now and then is pretty much the same guy; full of enthusiasm and talent. I knew that he’d be the industry once day doing things his way. Mighty Magiswords is amazing because Kyle is all over it (voices, drawing, direction). It’s such a personal show that reflects Kyle’s personality. That’s a real achievement because seldom do animated cartoons reflect the personality of their creators, at least in this day and age. The last time I saw a show like that was John Kricfalusi’s Ren and Stimpy, who was another guy I once worked for. His style has matured over the years, but the look of his work is pretty much the same.
JXP: Fantasimation was also involved with two animation shorts called Kappy the Kangaroo, which has yet to be licensed and Da Heist, both shorts that Kyle was involved in according to some sources (i.e Wikipedia). Thoughts on it?
BRIAN: For Kappy The Kangaroo; although it was a Fantasimation production, I had no part in it. I started Fantasimation Animation Studio with Michael Faiella, however, due to creative Differences, I exited the studio, well before work on Kappy started. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know about this production until you brought it up. I was able to look at the Animation promo they produced for it the other day. Frankly, it’s better than what I expected, but it lacks of professional quality. There were a few animation people at the studio, however they were assistants and clean up artists and not up to the task of producing a quality product by themselves. When I was there, I was the key creative guy in charge of design and animation and when I left, nobody could really fill that void. I don’t mean to sound egotistical, but it’s true. Regarding Kyle’s involvement with the project, It might be that Kyle freelanced on it, but I recall that at the time Kyle was working at another studio in Connecticut (Funny Bone), Fantasimation was based out of New York. I looked at Wikipedia; I’m not sure if all the facts are there. It’s good as a springboard for information, but I’ve seen things there that are not very accurate, especially when it comes down to animation facts. I’m sure Kyle would stop in once in a while at Fantasimation, but he was never employed by us, at least while I was there.
As far as ‘Da Heist’ goes, that was all Mike Faiella’s baby. I recall being there when he wanted to make this cartoon short, which was a blatant rip off of two thug like gangsters from a Warner Bros cartoon. After I left the studio, they produced it with some the remaining talent. I ended up viewing it on You Tube years ago. It was ok but in my honest opinion, not really worth seeking out.
JXP: What's your opinion on FernGully: The Last Rainforest, which you worked on?
BRIAN: It was a pretty good picture, not the greatest thing I ever saw but was very professionally done. A lot of great talent worked on that movie.. I freelanced animation scenes on that picture and ended up getting scenes with Krysta and Zak. The reason was that I was one of the few people who could draw them. I worked under directing animator, Tony Fucile.
JXP: What's your views on American cartoons today?
SPENCER: I like some stuff, Mighty Magiswords is fun and cartoony, with some anime sprinkled in. Uncle Grandpa is quirky and fun (Peter Browngardt took some classes with me when he was 16). However, I think some of todays cartoons are too generic, lack personality and look like they were drawn with a protractor! I really do miss the fact that the classic Looney Tunes Are absent from television. After all these years, they’re still great!
JXP: What was it like working with Ralph Bakshi and John Kricfalusi on the new Mighty Mouse cartoon show? Coincidentally, Ralph, John and Kyle share a similar art style.
BRIAN: Ralphs’ actual art style is very Fleischer like (rubber hose style) with gritty sensibilities, John Kricfalusi took Bob Clampett cartoons and combined them with early Hanna Barbera to create his own unique hybrid, which has influenced quite a few people since then, myself included. But then again, I was always sympathetic to the styles of Bob Clampett (Rod Scribner) and Early Hanna Barbera (Ed Benedict, Dick Bickenbach and Jerry Eisenberg). Ralph and John were like my best buddies when I worked for them, after leaving their studios, not so much. Ralph said I reminded him of himself, however I never understood that because I was polar opposites of him. Maybe because we’re both Brooklynites. John K is a little introverted but really comes out of his shell when he talks about cartoons. Kyle’s style is a mix of a lot of things, really hard to pinpoint.
JXP: Opinions on Preston Blair's Character Animation book? Do you have the original one that had MGM & Tom and Jerry characters on it?
BRIAN: It is the meat and potatoes of all animation or Classic Cartoon Design books. While there have been others that have surpassed it over the years for sheer information, it’s still my go to for basics. I don’t have the original one with Disney and MGM characters…. However, I’ve seen it many times. It never occurred to Blair when he wrote it that he was infringing on Disney and MGM copyrights by including those characters. Even though he redrew those characters for the later editions of the book, as a kid, I was still able to see the resemblances to Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny and Jiminy Cricket!
JXP: You also worked on Animaniacs as well. What was it like doing the monthly long Yakko's World segment?
BRIAN: I was very involved in that show from Development to Storyboarding. Yakko’s World was boarded twice. I had my own take on it, Tom Ruegger had another idea. I sat with Tom for about 5 minutes pitching my board, was corrected and sent out to re-board the cartoon. For the whole enchilada, Read about it here on my blog www.mitchellsketch.blogspot.com/2007/10/yakkos-world.html
JXP: Ever met or worked with Tom Ruegger, Jon McClenahan (Kyle's mentor at the point), Tim Cahill, Bob Doucette and even Spielberg?
BRIAN: Met Spielberg twice, Sat next to Bob Doucette and worked with him on the Ken Boyer Unit for Tiny Toons, Knew Jon from his involvement with Warners and working with him on several occasions through Star Toons. We’re friends. I worked with Tom Ruegger on two shows; Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. He was my boss and I have the utmost respect for him, he’s a good guy. Don’t remember Tim Cahill though…..
JXP: You were also involved with the Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show, Kyle's favorite show (man there are a lot of links between Kyle, you, Ren & Stimpy and Animaniacs; based on Magiswords). What was it like working with Bill Kopp and Jeff deGrandis?
BRIAN: Bill is a great guy and was fun to work with. I met Jeff DeGrandis at Warners who’s also a fun guy to work with, he was a Chuck Jones protégé. When he went to Disney, he called me to freelance some storyboards on Schnookums. They pretty much used my drawings on the storyboards as layouts for the shows.
JXP: Favorite Animaniacs episodes you worked on?
BRIAN: Probably the Big Candy Store. The candy store owner was modelled after John Cleese which was a favorite comedian of mine. I was able to contribute some gags into the story which made it pretty fun.
JXP: Which Animaniacs oversea animation studio you like best? TMS, Startoons, Kennedy, Wang...
BRIAN: If I had to rank them in order 1) Star Toons (for maintaining WB look and animation style) 2)TMS (close second) 3) Wang (although their cartoons sometimes looked wonky 4) Kennedy (they had this animation thing going that made the characters annoying to watch).
JXP: You were also involved in the laserdisc game, Space Ave. Is it true that the villain Borf is modeled after you?
BRIAN: Unfortunately, that’s just a rumor, The character of BORF was actually modelled after Effects Animator Dorse Lanpher, who worked for Bluth at the time; the voice of that character was performed by Don Bluth himself. However, I do resemble Borf in a way……
JXP: What projects are you working on now?
BRIAN: I’m working on classic cartoon animated short (self-produced) cartoon series for the internet, been working on these things for the last couple of years, but none have been released yet…maybe next year.
JXP: Any advice for a cartoonist like myself?
BRIAN: Five tips….1) Be persistent, if this is what you want to do, go for it and never look back. Be the best at what you can be. People will be there to knock you down and you’re going to take a lot of lumps before you hit success 2) Be Like a sponge…absorb all the good stuff that’s out there, study it, copy it and apply it to your own work 3) Be original! You don’t want to be the Next Glen Keane or the Next Kyle Carrozza. Learn from what they do and forge your own way. 4) Be Flexible! You have to be able to draw lots of things. Learn figure drawing, construction, perspective, painting, puppetry, acting etc. It’s all connected and makes you better and well rounded. 5) Have A Plan! Fail to plan is a plan to fail. Getting to be a great artist is a hard thing. You have to have a road map and that means getting training, taking classes and being open to learning new things. You have to grow with the eventual goal of being an expert at what you do. It doesn’t just happen. You have to have a plan to make it become a reality and I hate to say it, but it’s true…it only comes from hard work. A few have the talent, but an even smaller number have the tenacity to develop that talent into something great.
JXP: If Kyle ever wanted to hire you for Mighty Magiswords, would you say Yes?
BRIAN: Frankly Luis, he’s never asked.. although I have been in contact with him from time to time. He might not like how I draw his characters!
JXP: Do you think you can ever critique my art or show me steps on how to do animation?
BRIAN: Do you have a link to something you have online? I can take a look. As far as animation training goes, I do lectures from time to time in and out of New York. However, there’s a lot of resources out there that are set up for your purposes. Like www.animationmentor.com., Don Bluth gives an animation drawing workshop in Phoenix, Arizona once or twice a year and Eric Goldberg has an excellent book called Animation Crash Course. All are excellent. Of course, Preston Blair’s book is a good place to start. If it’s not in your library, get on. They’re pretty cheap! John K even has it posted on his blog.