Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to become an animator?

David Vallone:
First, I watched many hours of vintage Warner Bros., MGM, and Disney cartoons. No VHS or DVD at that time, just Saturday mornings in front of the TV with a bowl of my favorite cereal “Quisp.” It had a little alien with a propeller head on the box cover. That will date me. I really couldn’t get enough of it.

Secondly, was the fact that in elementary school during tests I would usually be busy drawing my favorite animated characters on the margins rather than finishing the test. Notes would get sent home to my parents saying, David would be a much better student if he’d just finish his tests. I would lose interest in them and found that drawing was much more enjoyable.

Thirdly my father, whom I love dearly, kept telling me that I needed to have a practical occupation of being an Engineer like himself. Not a hobby like art and animation. Get a real job Dave… haha!!

David Vallone:
I would have loved to have had a mentor very early in my career – someone who would have taken me under their wing, so to speak, and train me. What a great experience it would have been to have had someone of the caliber of a Marc Davis,  Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston or Ben Washam. I admire the work of these animators very much. They were strong mentoring influences to the younger generation of animators coming up in the business.

David Vallone:
Honestly I don’t have one. I know that sounds strange. There are elements of each character I have animated that I really have enjoyed. For example, when animating Stuart Little we had to be mindful that Stuart was believably fit in this live action world where we had to temper the caricatured movement to almost no Squash and Stretch. We had to blend human characteristics of walking upright on two legs and human emotional expression along with some characteristics of a mouse. For example, we animated hands close in to the chest in a mouse-like fashion and a little bit of nose or ear twitching when we could find a good place to put them in. Sid from Ice Age was a fun character to work with as well. From the character design to the great voiceover talent provided by John Leguizamo, I was really able to have fun with Sid’s facial expressions and body gesture.

David Vallone:
Don’t laugh too hard!!! My first animation job was designing and animating a three and one half minute drawn animated film about the hazards of “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever” for the National Institutes of Health starring “Tuffy the Terrible Tick.” Whooo hoooo!! Gotta love it and I did at the time.

David Vallone:
There really isn’t one person per se. It’s anyone that can continue to open my eyes to greater possibilities of communicating an idea, attitude or emotion through animation.

Fred Moore was one of those animators who really opened my eyes to the possibilities of acting through animation. His drawing and animation of Mickey in “Brave Little Tailor” had a lot of charm and appeal, which helped make the actions more convincing and believable. I also believe that his Animation Direction for the seven dwarfs in Snow White really helped to define each one of the dwarf’s characters. Through great body gestures and attitude, to wonderful subtleties in the facial expressions that were brought out in each dwarf, Moore made them feel very alive and believable.

Ken Harris was another great whose work with Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers characters was amazing. He had a great knack for timing, spacing and movement that really made his work stand out. A few examples are “Bunny Hugged,” “What’s Opera Doc” and “Rabbit Seasoning.” Directors who influence me are Tex Avery for his way of getting every ounce of humor out of a gag and his breakneck pacing – “King Sized Canary,” and “Little Rural Ridding Hood” come to mind.

Also included on my list is Chuck Jones, for his great sense of timing when pausing the action for the character to address the audience with a single expression or gesture that says so much. “Rabbit Seasoning” and “One Froggy Evening” are examples. And Brad Bird for his ability to tell a compelling story that audiences can find something to relate to. The Incredibles is a great example of that for me as I could really relate to one of the lead characters, Bob Parr, who is a husband and father of three. I really love that movie!!! These animators and directors amongst many more have had and continue to have a lot of influence on my growth as an animator.

David Vallone:
The Animation Mentor experience has been nothing short of amazing for me. I really do enjoy teaching and sharing ideas with students. It really has helped to sharpen my eye for performance. By teaching I’m learning. It’s a very reciprocal thing.

David Vallone:
Live Q&A. I really enjoy the live interaction with the students. It becomes a very engaging event each week.