Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Bancroft.
Hi Tom, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a twin and my brother, Tony, and I would draw together all the time as kids in California. We were competitive and the goal was always to get our mom to like one of our drawings better than the other brother. We loved comic strips like the Peanuts and humorous illustration magazines like Mad and Cracked were very popular in the 70s when we were growing up. We also loved Marvel comics but they were deemed too hard to draw back then. Animation was also a huge influence. From Saturday morning cartoons to Disney films. But again, it seemed too impossible to dream of being an animator at Disney. One day I heard about the art school, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), it was the only school in the US that was teaching animation. Tony and I applied a year after high school and were accepted. That launched a new love for hand drawn animation in me. In our second year, Disney came to look at portfolios for an internship- and we both got accepted into the internship. This was 1989, when DIsney was making The Little Mermaid. This lead to both of us getting a job at the Disney Florida animation studio. From there, I worked on about 12 different feature films and 4-5 animated shorts for Disney, working my way up to supervising animator on “Mulan” where I designed and animated “Mushu” the dragon. I was fortunate enough to be there during the “second golden age of Disney” which included films like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan and more. In 2000, though, I followed my heart and left Disney to go to Big Idea productions, makers of “Veggitales”. I was the Director and co-creator of the “Larryboy: the Cartoon Adventures” series. After a few years, they went bankrupt so I helped create and co-direct the “Superbook” animated series for CBN. After five years of that, I co-art directed the educational website ABCMouse.com. When the pandemic broke out in 2020, I decided to make a shift and start my own company, Pencilish animation studios- the world’s first crowd funded animation studios. We were able to get a $3Million investment from almost 5000 investors. We started a Youtube channel, developed 4 different animated series pilots, some art driven podcasts and game shows, along with other educational content. Lastly, three years ago, I was asked to co-direct the feature film, “The Light of the World” which just finished it’s theatrical run.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first third of my animation career went smoothly but the real challenge was to rise up the latter at a very competitive company, Walt Disney Productions. After 12 years of a safe paycheck, I left and the last 2/3rds of my career has been one challenge after another. I thrive on challenges so I am often looking for the next one. Creating content that people like is the ultimate challenge. Getting investors to believe in it first is even more challenging. With my experience, I can get the meetings and have my emails answered but other than that, it’s no easier to get a “yes” to anything than any other person can. It’s still all about the idea and how good you are at getting people to respond to it.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I believe the thing that helps me stand out in the animation world is my ability to create characters both visually and personality-wise. I have even written best selling books on the subject of character design in films and TV. The latter part, creating personalities for your characters, is the harder part though. That’s where your personal experiences and your ability to people watch comes in. Animators are considered “actors’s with a pencils (now stylus)’. I believe that wholeheartedly. The way we pull that of is by creating acting with poses and expressions. Getting that just right is how you establish one character from another and create memorable performances.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in hard work and prayer. Both of those have led to wonderful experiences in the Animation world. God has blessed me with opportunities time and time again and my job has always been to do the best I can with those opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pencilish.com
- Instagram: @tombancroft1
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombancroft/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mushume3
