BILL KROYER and SUSAN KROYER have produced some of the most remarkable combinations of drawn and computer animation to date,including the title animation for HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS and the prizewinning short TECHNOLOGICAL THREAT, which deals with every animator's secret fear of being replaced by The Machine. Bill recently stopped by to discuss his new feature, FERNGULLY THE LAST RAINFOREST, and the process of reconciling these supposed ‘opposites' of animation technique.)
NANCY BEIMAN: Do you think you could give us some information on your background in conventional character animation and describe some of your work in computers?
BILL KROYER: I started animating right out of college in Chicago. I just discovered animation by accident,in a student film. I loved it, so I basically taught myself. I did educational films in Chicago, and moved to Los Angeles in 1975 to try to learn from someone who actually did animation. I got a job in a commercial studio for below minimum wage, working for a year as an assistant animator. We did a lot of commercials. I think I spent between 80 and 100 hours a week at my drawing board; I was obsessed with learning how to animate. I went over to Disney, to the training program. This is in the old days, under Eric Larson. I worked there for a couple of years, on THE SMALL ONE and FOX AND HOUND; then I left when Disney started THE BLACK CAULDRON.
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