Mike Disa
Mike Disa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Disa February 14, 1965 |
| Education | St. Joseph High School |
| Alma mater | Northern Illinois University |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, animator |
| Spouse | Laura Hogan |
| Website | mikedisa |
Michael Disa(born February 14, 1965) is an American film director, screenwriter, and animator. He began working as an animator atDisneyin the mid-1990s, where he was involved with several films up until the late-2000s. During this time, he also worked on non-Disneyanimatedfilms, includingLooney Tunes: Back in Action,andBarnyard.He made his directorial debut withThe Origin of Stitch,Disney's 2005direct-to-DVDshort sequel toLilo & Stitch.At one point he was attached to direct an animated prequel to Disney's 1937 filmSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,but he dropped out due to creative differences, and the project was cancelled. After growing disillusioned with Disney, Disa left the studio to become an independent filmmaker. His first feature film,Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evilwas released in 2011. Disa followed this withPostman Pat: The Movie,which was released in 2014.
Early life
[edit]Disa was raised on thesouth side of Chicago,Illinois, nearMarquette Park.His parents, Mike and Judy, were both graduates ofNorthern Illinois University,[1]and his father worked as an art teacher for forty-two years atCurie Metropolitan High SchoolandHarper High School.[2] He grew up in a largeIrish Catholicfamily and served as analtar boyat St. Francis of Assisi Parish, where his uncle was a pastor.[3]
Disa attendedSt. Joseph High Schooland graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1987 with degrees in art and computer programming.[4]
Career
[edit]Disa moved to Los Angeles, California in 1990, where he was homeless for six months until he found a job doing digital cleanup of individual animation frames on educational CDs for $1.50 a frame. He went on to do effects works on films,video game design,freelance work on theanimatedtelevision seriesTiny Toon Adventures,and animation forHanna-Barbera Productions.He eventually joined as an animator at theWalt Disney Company,where he worked onPocahontas(1995),The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1996),Hercules(1997),Mulan(1998),Tarzan(1999),Fantasia 2000(2000),The Tigger Movie(2000),Atlantis: The Lost Empire(2001),Treasure Planet(2002),Home on the Range(2004), andPooh's Heffalump Movie(2005). He also worked onLooney Tunes: Back in Action(2003), before spending a year developing a film calledWingswithWarner Bros.that ultimately was not produced.[3][5]He then directed and co-wroteThe Origin of Stitch(2005), adirect-to-DVDshort sequel to Disney's 2002Oscar-nominatedfilmLilo & Stitch.The Origin of Stitchearned a DVDX award nomination for best additional original material.[2]
Disa worked as a storyboard artist on Nickelodeon's animated filmBarnyard(2006) and Disney's direct-to-DVD, animated filmTinker Bell(2008). He left Disney for a time, but was asked to return to the studio to developThe Seven Dwarfs,an animated prequel toSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs,which would have been produced byDisneyToon Studios.He left over creative differences when executives wanted Dopey to talk, a decision that he felt disrespected the original film in which the character is silent.[3][6]The film was cancelled by 2007.[7] Growing frustrated with the creative restraints of working on studio produced films, Disa left to become an independent filmmaker. He spent a year working onRob Zombie's animated filmThe Haunted World of El Superbeasto(2009), and was then asked to direct a sequel to the 2005 independent, animated filmHoodwinked!.Although he had not previously seen the original film, he was impressed with the script for the sequel[8]and was announced as the film's director in March 2007.[9]The film finished production in 2009[8]and was originally scheduled for release in January 2010, but its release was delayed by its distributor,The Weinstein Company.[10]The film's production company,Kanbar Entertainment,claimed that this breached an agreement and sued The Weinstein Company in March 2010.[11]This gave Disa six months to direct the direct-to-DVD animated filmsDante's Inferno: An Animated EpicandDead Space: Aftermath,both adaptations of video games byEA.[8]Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evilwas released in April 2011.[12]
Disa also voiced several characters inHoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evilsuch as Helmut, Spider, Rhino and HEA Agents 1 and 2.
In September 2011, Disa was announced as the director ofPostman Pat: The Movie — You Know You're the One,an animated, feature film adaptation of the Britishstop motion,children's television seriesPostman Pat.[13]The film's release date was originally scheduled for May 2013,[14]but was moved until May of the following year.[15]
Disa also teaches at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts.[16]
Personal life
[edit]Disa met his wife, Laura Hogan, while at Northern Illinois University.[1]He is a Catholic and hispatron saintisSt. Michael,the patron saint ofpolice officers.Many of his family members were police officers, including his grandfather, and St. Michael was his father's patron saint as well.[3]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Credits | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Taz-Mania(TV Series) | Animation Posing Artist -1 Episode | |
| Yo Yogi!(TV Series) | Storyboard Artist -19 Episodes "/ Assistant Storyboard Artist -4 Episodes | ||
| 1992 | Cool World | Effects Animator | |
| Bebe's Kids | Effects Animator | ||
| 1995 | Casper | Digital Reference Technician | |
| Pocahontas | Breakdown Artist | Native Americans | |
| 1996 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Breakdown Animator | Phoebus |
| 1997 | Hercules | Breakdown Artist | Hercules |
| 1998 | Mulan | Additional Rough Inbetweener | |
| 1999 | Tarzan | Additional Rough Inbetweener | |
| 2000 | Fantasia 2000 | Animating Assistant | |
| The Tigger Movie | Additional Animator | ||
| 2001 | Atlantis: The Lost Empire | Animator | Mrs. Wilhelmina Bertha Packard and Mister Fenton Q. Harcourt |
| 2002 | Treasure Planet | Animator | Long John Silver's Pirate Crew |
| Eight Crazy Nights | Animator (uncredited) | ||
| 2003 | Captain Sturdy: The Originals(TV Short) | Additional Animator | |
| Looney Tunes: Back in Action | Animator | ||
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Animator | Alameda Slim and Junior the Buffalo |
| Cartoon Monsoon(TV Series) | Writer / Director -1 Episode | ||
| Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers(Video) | Character Animator | ||
| 2005 | Pooh's Heffalump Movie | Key Animator | |
| Bewitched | 2D Animation Director (uncredited) | ||
| The Origin of Stitch(Video short) | Director / Animator | ||
| 2006 | Barnyard | Storyboard Artist | |
| 2008 | Tinker Bell(Video) | Storyboards | |
| 2009 | The Haunted World of El Superbeasto(Video) | Co-Director / Sequence Director | |
| 2010 | Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic(Video) | Co-Director | |
| 2011 | Dead Space: Aftermath(Video) | Supervising Director / Story / Sequence Director / Voice Director / CG Storyboard Artist | |
| Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil | Director / Screenplay / voiceover actor / Storyboard Artist | Helmut (voice) / Spider (voice) / Rhino (voice) / Agent 1 & 2 (voice) | |
| 2014 | Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon | English Version Director / Writer / Additional Voice | |
| Postman Pat: The Movie | Director | Jess / UMD 300 (voice) | |
| 2017 | Space Dogs Family(TV Series) | Producer / Writer | |
| Wacky Races(TV Series) | Director -2 Episodes/ Producer / Story by -2 Episodes/ Written by -1 Episode | ||
| 2021 | Space Jam: A New Legacy | Animator |
References
[edit]- ^abMark McGowan (Fall 2011)."Movie Mentor".myniu.com.RetrievedJanuary 17,2013.
- ^abJessica Sabbah (April 28, 2011)."Hollywood quite a draw for Southwest Side native".Chicago Sun-Times.RetrievedJanuary 17,2013.
- ^abcdPeggy Bowers (April 28, 2011)."An Interview with Catholic Hollywood Director Mike Disa".integratedcatholiclife.org.RetrievedJanuary 17,2013.
- ^"2012 Alumni Awards".myniu.com.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^"Mike Disa linkedin".linkedin.com.RetrievedJanuary 19,2013.
- ^Sarah Baisley (April 2, 2007)."Mike Disa to Helm Hoodwinked 2: Hood Vs Evil".Animation World Magazine.RetrievedJanuary 19,2013.
- ^Jim Hill (June 20, 2007)."Say" So Long! "to direct-to-video sequels: DisneyToon Studios tunes out Sharon Morrill".jimhillmedia.com.RetrievedJanuary 19,2013.
- ^abcMercedes Milligan (April 25, 2011)."Animated People: Mike Disa, Director of 'Hoodwinked Too!'".Animation Magazine.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^Cory Edwards (March 25, 2007)."Hoodwinked 2: Director Hired".coryedwards.com.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^Joe Flint (December 16, 2009)."Weinstein Co. delaying 'Hoodwinked' sequel".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^Johnson, Ted (March 31, 2010)."Kanbar Entertainment files suit against Weinstein".Variety.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^"The Trailer for Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil".ComingSoon.net.February 10, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^Tom Fordy (September 16, 2011)."Postman Pat To Finally Deliver On The Silver Screen?".thehollywoodnews.com.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^Mercedes Milligan (April 16, 2012)."'Postman Pat' Film Gets Release Date ".Animation Magazine.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^"Postman Pat".filmdates.co.uk.Retrieved30 May2013.
- ^Chris Douvalas (February 21, 2004)."Animator Mike Disa The state of animation".animatedbuzz.com.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
