LeSean Thomas

What is your name and your current occupation?
My Name is LeSean Thomas. I’m a TV animation producer/director currently back and forth between Hollywood and Seoul, South Korea.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I think working in-house as production staff for South Korean animation studio, JM Animation in Seoul for a year & and half. I was the only foreigner there. Many American artists/animators have gone to South Korea to work and oversee projects, but they’ve always been represented by giant, corporate funded network studios who funded their trips and stays, but my situation was the reverse. I sought out, hounded Korean presidents and quit my job at Warner Bros Animation to be the first, independent hire by a Korean Studio to be plucked from the states specifically & move to Korea to work there as permanent staff at the time. It was a wild ride and it took me forever to learn, navigate and figure things out. Thank you, JM Animation, haha.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I would say Adult Swim’s ” The Boondocks” (Co-Director/Supervising Character Designer) & NIckelodeon’s “The Legend of Korra” (Storyboard artist/Animation production) . For one, The Boondocks, because it was the first, black-created prime-time animated tv show to blend our hip hop culture and love of anime aesthetic with a political satire approach. Absolute genius. And it won a Peabody Award! Makes me very proud. Secondly, The Legend of Korra, because it was the first project i worked on living in Seoul South Korea. Working alongside the korean animators for long, we were like family. I was their little brother. It was a great experience & what we helped make in 2010/2011 was nothing short of magical and groundbreaking> And aside from Continue reading

11 SECRETS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT ANIMANIACS, PINKY & THE BRAIN, AND FREAKAZOID!

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Mtv has an interesting article up called 11 SECRETS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT ANIMANIACS, PINKY & THE BRAIN, AND FREAKAZOID!

Tom Ruegger, the 14-time Emmy Award winner, who also created Tiny Toon Adventures, Road Rovers, Histeria!, and is currently the showrunner for Disney’s The 7D, recently did a Reddit AMA to celebrate the fact that you can now stream Animaniacs on Netflix.

Having worked on Animaniacs, as well as Pinky and the Brain, I can say that Tom Ruegger was one of the most talented individuals I ever had the fortune of working with. Incidentally Tom Ruegger was kind enough to do an interview with us years back.

You can read the whole article on Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain and Freakazoid here.

Doug Wood

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Doug Wood – Head Writer on FLOOGALS, an upcoming Sprout/NBCUniversal live-action and CGI series for preschoolers.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was an actor so many of those jobs were crazy. Playing an elf on a TV commercial stands out, as does a role as an anorexic Sumo wrestler on an NBC musical/comedy series with Smokey Robinson.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I was the development exec on some great properties– IRON GIANT at Warner Bros., TINY TOONS and ANIMANIACS at Amblin. I’m also proud to have worked on a little film called BALTO– the first animated feature I developed while an executive for Spielberg.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Chicago. I acted there with Steppenwolf, Next Theatre Co., Second City and the Fine Line Comedy Duo. I came to L.A. to do the Fine Line on the Merv Griffin Show and at the Improv and Comedy Store, and wound up getting steady acting work for about a year. When that dried up, I found Continue reading

Alex Almaguer

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What is your name? Alex Almaguer. Or Alejandro Almaguer which is my real name that I used to use when I first started in animation. I think you can still find some early episodes of Johnny Bravo or Pinky and the Brain that I storyboarded that have my real name in the credits. And Big Poo. Don’t ask.

What would you say has been your primary job in animation?
Mainly Storyboards. It’s what I started on when I got into the industry and I’ve just stuck to it.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Storyboarding. It doesn’t get crazier than that.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’d have to say being a part of “The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy.” It was the first time I REALLY got to write and draw my own boards. Within a few months on that show I was already coming up with my own gags and writing my own dialogue and learning how to tell a story. Back then, the studio was still doing the 7 min. format, so we really had a lot of freedom to get in and do a bunch of silly, dumb jokes and get out while telling a simple story at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di_LO1JqopA Continue reading

The Best Animated Movies on Netflix Right Now

Collider has a great article up about the best animated films currently on Netflix. And they’re ALL 2d animated as well! (except Boxtrolls, but we’ll give them a pass because it was an EXCELLENT film!) Also among them are Mulan, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Secret of the Kells. There’s also one that’s not been on my radar which looks interesting called Berserk which is not on my radar until now. I’m not typically a fan of the ‘shot on 4’s” anime films but there’s some great looking shots in the trailer. (above) Check it out!

From the article:

…we’ve combed through the available features streaming on Netflix to bring you the best of the best. There’s something here for everyone, including one of Disney’s most over-looked features, Oscar-nominated animations, classics and contemporary movies alike, all representing a stunning variety of animation styles. Whether you’re a casual fan or a longtime devotee of animation, there’s something for everyone here.

 

 

You can read the entire article here.