Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to become an animator?

Randy Haycock:
I saw the devil in “Night on Bald Mountain” in Fantasia and was blown away by the power and emotion of the character.  I wanted to move people the way that animation moved me.

Randy Haycock:
I don’t think I would change a thing.  I started late in the industry.  I was a film student and an illustrator before becoming an animator, but I feel all the experience I gained from those diverse paths led me to becoming a better animator than if I’d gone straight into the field.

Randy Haycock:
I started out as a character layout artist on Tiny Toon’s “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” at Warner Bros. TV Animation.  My first work as an animator was on Aladdin, working for Glen Keane on the character Aladdin.

Randy Haycock:
I’ve had many great influences and teachers in animation, but I would say certainly the most influential mentor I had was Glen Keane.  He was my first official mentor as a trainee animator on Aladdin. I considered him (and still do) one of the greatest animators living today, and he is a great teacher as well.

Randy Haycock:
That’s like asking which of my five kids is my favorite.  I became attached to all the characters I’ve animated.  My favorite is usually the latest one.  Most recently I got to animate Goofy for “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater” and I had a blast with that.  I’ve always loved Goofy, but I usually don’t get cast on broad, comic characters, so it was great fun to stretch my funny bone a bit with that character.

Randy Haycock:
I love the experience of working at Animation Mentor.  I love sharing what I’ve learned with a new generation.  I only hope I can be as positive of an influence on my students as my mentors were for me.

Randy Haycock:
I love the Q&A tool because I like being able to interact directly with the students.  I feel like I get to know them better because we can talk face to face.