Mark Dindal

Last updated

Mark Dindal
Born
Alma mater CalArts
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • effects animator
  • character designer
  • storyboard artist
  • voice actor
Years active1979–present
Children2 [1]

Mark Dindal is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor, who is famous for having directed three animated films, Cats Don't Dance (1997), The Emperor's New Groove (2000), and Chicken Little (2005). [2] He worked in many Disney projects as an effects animator, and also led the special effects for several films, such as The Little Mermaid (1989) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990).

Contents

Early life

Dindal was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1960. [3]

Growing up, Dindal was influenced by Disney films and Warner Bros. Saturday cartoons. [4] One of his earliest influence was Disney's The Sword in the Stone , which he remembers his grandmother taking him to see when he was three years old. [4] It also helped that his dad took art as a hobby and taught Dindal to draw while growing up in Syracuse, New York. [5]

During his teen years, Dindal attended Jamesville-DeWitt High School, where he attended most of the art classes that the school had to offer, along with making comic strips and short films. [6] Dindal learned animation at CalArts. [3] He began working at Disney in 1980. [3]

Career

Effects Animator at Disney (1980–1988)

His early work included The Fox and the Hound (1981), The Black Cauldron (1985), Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), and Oliver & Company (1988), [3] each following a very similar animation style in all the films. This style consisted of similar backgrounds with delicate animation and complex character effects, which was well received.

Leaving and Returning to Disney (1986–1992)

After these projects, Dindal briefly left Disney to work on several projects for varying studios, including BraveStarr and The Brave Little Toaster . He returned to the studio in 1987 and got his first head role as a visual effects supervisor for The Little Mermaid (1989). [3] He later worked as head animator for the film The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and worked as an effects animator on the animated film Aladdin (1992). [3]

Dindal as Director (1991–2000)

Dindal’s first time in the director’s chair was for a short, 1940s style wartime propaganda segment for the 1991 superhero film, The Rocketeer. Working with a crew of 3 other animators, Dindal took inspiration from Disney wartime cartoons like Victory Through Air Power and Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series. [7]

Dindal's feature-length debut was Cats Don't Dance , which was released in 1997, three years before The Emperor's New Groove was released in 2000. [3] In Cats Don't Dance Dindal voiced Max. The film won the Annie Award for Best Animated Film and Dindal was nominated for directing. The Emperor's New Groove was initially expected to be a Disney musical feature called Kingdom of the Sun. However, the idea did not work out, so Dindal, along with Chris Williams and David Reynolds changed the script to a comedy. During the six-year production, he started to work on Cats Don't Dance, a Turner Broadcasting (since merged into Warner Bros.) animated musical production.

Chicken Little (2005)

Dindal worked on Chicken Little (2005), another Disney production, which needed a large animation team. Dindal voiced Morkubine Porcupine and Coach in the film. The film was nominated for several Annies, though Dindal was not nominated as a director. During the film's production, DisneyToon Studios produced Kronk's New Groove as a direct-to-video feature. As Dindal was working on Chicken Little at the time, he did not have a position on the staff. Later, Dindal created the TV series The Emperor's New School (2006–2008).

Post-Disney (2006–present)

In March 2006, a day after the DVD release of Chicken Little, Dindal and producer Randy Fullmer left the company because they were reportedly tired of dealing with then-WDFA head David Stainton. [8] Over the span of three years, Dindal was attached to direct several live-action films, including Sherlock's Secretary [9] and Housebroken, [10] both for Walden Media, and a film adaptation of the children's book Kringle for Paramount Pictures. [11]

In December 2010, Dindal was directing at DreamWorks Animation the animated film Me and My Shadow , based on his own pitch that would've combined both computer and traditional animation. [12] In January 2012, he was no longer directing the film [13] and was replaced by story artist Alessandro Carloni as director, and the film has been in development limbo since 2013. [14]

In July 2014, he provided illustrations for the documentary film Restrung , centering on colleague Randy Fullmer on his career at Wyn Guitars from 2006. On November 12, 2018, it was announced that Dindal will direct an animated Garfield feature for Alcon Entertainment, with pre-production beginning the following month in Los Angeles. [15] In March 2019, Dindal was involved as a story artist and helped design the characters, Gus and Cooper, [16] for the 2019 Nickelodeon film, Wonder Park. That same year, it was announced that Dindal, along with Pixar veteran Teddy Newton, will develop a film based on the Funko pop figures for Warner Animation Group. [17]

In November 2021, it was announced that The Garfield Movie was picked up by Sony Pictures Releasing for a worldwide release (excluding China), and will star Chris Pratt as the titular role. The film will also reunite Dindal with New Groove screenwriter David Reynolds, who's writing the script. [18] In September 2022, the film was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2024. [19]

Unrealized projects

Personal life

Dindal is the father of two daughters, who were the inspiration for his original Chicken Little pitch. [1]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorWriterAnimation DepartmentOtherNote
1981 The Fox and the Hound NoNoYesNoEffects inbetween artist (uncredited)
1982 Fun with Mr. Future NoNoYesNo
1983 Mickey's Christmas Carol NoNoYesNoEffects animator
1985 The Black Cauldron NoNoYesNo
1986 The Great Mouse Detective NoNoYesNo
1987 Sport Goofy in Soccermania NoNoYesNo
The Brave Little Toaster NoNoNoYesEffects animation consultant
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night NoNoYesNoSpecial effects animator
1988 BraveStarr NoNoYesNo
BraveStarr: The Legend NoNoYesNoEffects animator
Oliver & Company NoNoYesNo
1989 The Little Mermaid NoNoYesNoVisual effects supervisor
1990 The Prince and the Pauper NoNoYesNoStoryboard artist
The Rescuers Down Under NoNoYesNoHead effects animator
1991 The Rocketeer NoNoYesNoDirector: Nazi Invasion segment
1992 Frozen Assets NoNoNoYesAnimation sequence producer
Tom and Jerry: The Movie NoNoYesNoEffects animator
Aladdin NoNoYesNo
The Little Mermaid NoNoYesYesEffects consultant (1 episode), effects animator (2 episodes), storyboard artist (1 episode)
1993 Happily Ever After NoNoYesNoSpecial effects animator, voice of Goons (uncredited)
1997 Cats Don't Dance YesYesYesYesStory, character designer, storyboard artist, storyboard supervisor, voice of Max
2000 The Emperor's New Groove YesYesNoNo
2002 The Sweatbox NoNoNoYesHimself, documentary
2005 Chicken Little YesYesYesYesStory, character designer, voice of Morkubine Porcupine & Coach
Kronk's New Groove NoNoNoYesBased on characters (uncredited)
2006–2008 The Emperor's New School NoYesNoNoCreator, writer
2014 Restrung NoNoNoYesIllustrator, documentary
2019 Wonder Park NoNoYesNoStory Artist
2024 The Garfield Movie YesNoNoNoPost-production

Internet

YearTitleRole
2011TAG Blog [21] Himself
2015Lights, Camera, Austin [22]
2020Happily Ever After Hours [7]
2021Disney Movie Insider Presents [23]

Awards and nominations

Nominations

Won

Collaborators

Cats Don't Dance The Emperor's New Groove Chicken Little The Emperor's New School Restrung The Garfield Movie
Don Knotts
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Patrick Warburton
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John Goodman
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Eartha Kitt
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Wendie Malick
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Frank Welker
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Randy Fullmer
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David Reynolds
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Don Hall
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John Debney
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The Walt Disney Company
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Related Research Articles

<i>The Emperors New Groove</i> 2000 animated Disney film by Mark Dindal

The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Mark Dindal and produced by Randy Fullmer, from a screenplay by David Reynolds, and a story by Dindal and Chris Williams. The voice cast features David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, and Wendie Malick. Inspired by ancient Peruvian culture and set in an Incan empire, The Emperor's New Groove follows young and self-centered Emperor Kuzco, who is accidentally transformed into a llama by his ex-advisor, Yzma (Kitt), and her dim-witted but affable henchman, Kronk (Warburton). For the emperor to change back into a human, he entrusts a village leader, Pacha (Goodman), to escort him back to the palace before Yzma can track them down and finish him off.

<i>Garfield: The Movie</i> 2004 animated/live-action film by Peter Hewitt

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<i>Cats Dont Dance</i> 1997 American animated musical comedy film by Mark Dindal

Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 American animated musical comedy film directed by Mark Dindal. The film features the voices of Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Matthew Herried, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Kathy Najimy, Don Knotts, Hal Holbrook, Betty Lou Gerson, René Auberjonois, Dindal, and George Kennedy.

<i>Chicken Little</i> (2005 film) Animated drama comedy film by Mark Dindal

Chicken Little is a 2005 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. It was directed by Mark Dindal from a screenplay by Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman, and Ron Anderson, based on a story by Dinal and Mark Kennedy, loosely inspired on the European folk tale "Henny Penny", known in the United States as "Chicken Little". In this version, the title character is ridiculed by his town for causing a panic, thinking that the sky was "falling". A year later he attempts to fix his reputation, followed by an unexpected truth regarding his past being revealed. The film is dedicated to Disney artist and writer Joe Grant, who died before the film's release. This also marked the final film appearance of Don Knotts during his lifetime, as his next and final film, Air Buddies, would be released posthumously.

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