The absolute MOST fun interview I have ever had the pleasure of sitting in on was with Tony and Tom Bancroft, Director’s and Animation Supervisors for Disney. You might know their work in the amazing Mulan, now out of the vault and on shelves everywhere!
These Disney greats are twin brothers who have been drawing and creating their whole lives. With a healthy dose of brotherly competition and an eye for creating characters in an instant that will enthrall and entertain, their animation in real life is as large as what comes to life on screen.
While in Los Angeles for the #DisneyOzEvent and World Premier of Oz The Great and Powerful, we got to enjoy a wonderful Chinese lunch and chat session with these very busy men!
First they filled us in on how drawing and imagining is a lifelong passion. They laughed that while getting them no dates in school, it did give them inspiration and characters that they are thrilled to bring to life now.
Both father’s, they love that they can create for kids and still draw just for fun to this day. In fact, in their spare time, they created original drawings – and autographed them – for all 25 of us bloggers who were there!
As we listened to Tony and Tom Bancroft talk about escaping into art as children and honing their craft their whole lives, they casually sketched Mushu and Khan from Mulan. Just as if they were writing their names, they made the characters come to life in chalk before our eyes.
It truly was amazing to watch.
As Tony talked about Mulan and the creation of the lovable sidekicks, they shared the pride they had in the film. And for them to have this much pride after being in the animation industry for 30 years is pretty cool. It is a testament to the film and I have to agree that it is an amazing one.
We also learned some really interesting things. Like, look for the hidden Mickey in the beginning of the film! I found it, can you? Tom also discussed his incredible passion and push to have Mushu be purple. But the final color was red. However, if you watch carefully, there is a scene where Mushu’s tail is purple. Disney called Tom and told him to look for it and he was so excited to see it! Can you spot the scene?
Check out a clip for Mulan below!
I really loved the energy and fun that we had with the Bancroft brothers. They are exactly who I would think was behind such colorful and classic characters! You can pick up Mulan / Mulan II NOW on Blu-ray + DVD. Hurry before it goes back in the vault!
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**I received an all expense paid trip in exchange for honest reviews and discussions regarding these events. No monetary compensation will be received. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.**
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