Tom Bancroft

Animation veteran Tom Bancroft started his career in 1987 when he attended California Institute of the Arts, to study character animation. After only a year and a half Bancroft was accepted into the prestigious Walt Disney Feature Animation internship program. Upon successful completion of the program, he was asked to be a part of the opening of the new Walt Disney Feature Animation at the Disney/MGM Studios in 1989.

Over the next 12 years Bancroft animated on such films as: Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tarzan and Atlantis. On the film Mulan, Bancroft was given the opportunity to be the Supervising Animator for the character of "Mushu" the dragon. Chief in this assignment was to design the character of "Mushu" for the production. For this project Bancroft was nominated for both a RUEBEN and an ANNIE Award. Throughout this time Bancroft also animated shorts with Roger Rabbit, commercials, theme park attractions, and created comic book art for Disney comics.

In the beginning of 2000, Bancroft left Disney to work for Big Idea Productions, makers of Veggietales, where he was the senior character designer, and contributed to conceptual art, computer animation, and storyboarding. He also was the character designer and Supervising Director of the new Larryboy video series.

Bancroft left Big Idea Productions in 2002 to start an animation development and illustration company, Funnypages Productions, with his friend and artistic partner, Rob Corley. They have been involved in projects such as children's books, character designs, animation, video game development and comic books. Their clients include: Disney, Fisher-Price, Big Idea Productions, EMI-CMG Records, DC Comics, Hasbro, Tommy Nelson, Scholastic, as well as others.

Through their publishing company, Funnypages Press, Bancroft publishes his creator-owned comic, Opposite Forces along with other comics by talented creators. Bancroft has also drawn covers and pinups for the comic books Tellos, Danger Girl, Herobear and the Kid, Liberty Meadows, and more.