Community hub
0 subscribers7 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to John Pomeroy.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
John Pomeroy
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
John Foster Pomeroy is an American animator who has worked for several major studios, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Sullivan Bluth Studios. He has also worked as producer, and screenwriter on several animated feature films.[1]
Key Information
Career
[edit]John Pomeroy started work at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1973 as a background artist, and became a full animator in 1974 to work on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. While working at Disney, he met fellow animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, and began working with them on an independent short film project, Banjo the Woodpile Cat.
In 1979 he, Bluth, Goldman and several other Disney animators left the studio to form the independent studio Don Bluth Productions (later to become Bluth Group), which produced the film The Secret of NIMH and the animation for laserdisc video games Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. The independent studio encountered financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy in 1984, but reformed soon after as Sullivan Bluth Studios and opened a major animation facility in Dublin, Ireland.
Pomeroy remained at the Dublin studio to work as the directing animator and producer on An American Tail and The Land Before Time, before moving back to America in 1989 to form a new US wing of the company.
After working with Sullivan Bluth for thirteen years, Pomeroy was convinced to return to Disney by Don Hahn to work as the supervising animator on John Smith for Pocahontas. While working at Disney, Pomeroy also provided animation for the films Fantasia 2000, The Tigger Movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet.
Pomeroy then left Disney once again in 2003 during the period where they briefly shut down their traditional animation department and subsequently started to do freelance work and was an animator for Curious George, and most recently, The Simpsons Movie, as well as Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz, Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon, Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest, Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Disenchanted.
He is a talented sculptor, and creates busts that animated film artists use to visualize a 3-D model of their character.
John Pomeroy is also a painter of historic events, and builder of historic weapons used in movies.
He is currently on the elders board at a Village Christian School in Sun Valley, California.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Credits | Characters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (Short) | Animator | ||
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | |||
| The Rescuers | Character Animator | |||
| Pete's Dragon | ||||
| 1978 | The Small One (Short) | Directing Animator | ||
| 1979 | Banjo the Woodpile Cat (TV Short) | Animator / Producer | ||
| 1982 | The Secret of NIMH | Producer / Directing Animator / Story Adaptation | ||
| The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) | Animator - 1 Episode | |||
| 1983 | Dragon's Lair (Video Game) | Producer / Animator | ||
| 1984 | Space Ace (Video Game) | Producer | ||
| 1986 | An American Tail | Producer / Directing Animator | ||
| 1988 | The Land Before Time | |||
| 1989 | All Dogs Go to Heaven | Producer / Story / Directing Animator | ||
| 1990 | Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp (Video Game) | Producer / Animator | ||
| Rock-a-Doodle | Producer / Story / Directing Animator | |||
| 1994 | Thumbelina | Producer / Supervising Directing Animator: Los Angeles | ||
| A Troll in Central Park | Producer / Story / Supervising Directing Animator | |||
| 1995 | The Pebble and the Penguin | Producer / Directing Animator | ||
| Pocahontas | Supervising Animator | John Smith | ||
| 2000 | Fantasia 2000 | Lead Character Animator - Segment "Firebird Suite - 1919 Version" | Firebird | |
| The Tigger Movie | Additional Animator | |||
| 2001 | Atlantis: The Lost Empire | Supervising Animator | Milo James Thatch | |
| 2002 | Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair (Video Game) | Animator: Intro and Ending | ||
| Treasure Planet | Supervising Animator | Captain Nathaniel Flint & His Crew | ||
| 2006 | Curious George | Storyboard Artist / Lead Animator | Maggie and Clovis | |
| 2007 | The Simpsons Movie | Animator | ||
| 2009 | Wild About Safety: Timon and Pumbaa Safety Smart: Goes Green! (Video short) | |||
| Wild About Safety: Timon and Pumbaa Safety Smart: In the Water! (Video short) | ||||
| Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Video) | Story Artist | |||
| 2010 | Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (Video) | Additional Story Artist | ||
| 2011 | Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz (Video) | Character Layout And Animation | ||
| 2013 | Planes | Story Artist | ||
| 2014 | Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon (Video) | Storyboard Artist / Character Layout and Animation | ||
| 2015 | Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation | Story Artist | ||
| Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest (Video) | Character Layout and Animation | |||
| 2016 | Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz (Video) | Storyboard Artist / Character Layout And Animation | ||
| Elena of Avalor (TV Series) | Character Designer - 1 Episode / Storyboard Artist - 2 Episodes | |||
| The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today (Video) | Storyboard Artist | |||
| 2017 | Bunyan and Babe | |||
| The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover (Video) | ||||
| Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Video) | Character Layout And Animation | |||
| Animal Crackers | Storyboard Artist | |||
| 2016–2017 | Sofia the First (TV Series) | Character Designer - 2 Episodes | ||
| 2018 | The Swan Princess: A Royal Myztery (Video) | Storyboard Artist | ||
| Sofia the First (TV Series) | Storyboard Artist - 1 Episode | |||
| 2019 | Klaus | Additional Animator | ||
| 2021 | Space Jam: A New Legacy | Animator: Tonic DNA | ||
| 2021–2023 | Looney Tunes Cartoons | Character Designer | ||
| 2022 | Green Eggs and Ham: The Second Serving | Animator | ||
| Disenchanted | Animator: Tonic DNA |
References
[edit]- ^ John Pomeroy Animation, retrieved August 2, 2023
- Cawley, John (October 1991). The Animated Films of Don Bluth. Image Pub of New York. ISBN 0-685-50334-8.
- "Dragon's Lair Project: The Creators – John Pomeroy". Retrieved January 9, 2007.
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to John Pomeroy.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
John Pomeroy
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life and education
Early life
John Foster Pomeroy was born on March 26, 1951, in Los Angeles, California.[1] Growing up in Southern California during the 1950s and 1960s, he developed an early fascination with creative arts, initially captivated by puppets and puppetry, which he enjoyed building as a child.[5] This interest soon evolved into a passion for drawing and animation, influenced by classic Disney films; by age 13 or 14, Pomeroy had created his own rudimentary animation test featuring Mickey Mouse from Fantasia's "Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence, sketching characters from movies to explore storytelling.[10] These childhood hobbies of sketching and experimenting with animation laid the foundation for his artistic pursuits, eventually leading him to formal training at the Art Center College of Design.Education
John Pomeroy attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, from 1971 to 1973, majoring in illustration.[11][12][13] Motivated by his longstanding interest in Disney animation, Pomeroy pursued this formal training to build foundational artistic skills for a potential career in the industry. During his studies, he took a perspective class and several other related courses in response to constructive feedback from Disney animator Milt Kahl, which helped refine his techniques in illustration and visual design principles.[12] Upon completing the program in 1973, Pomeroy immediately applied these skills by resubmitting his portfolio to Walt Disney Studios, leading to his acceptance into their animation training program and his start as an animation trainee on February 7, 1973.[12][11][13]Animation career
Disney tenure (1973–1979)
John Pomeroy joined Walt Disney Productions in 1973 as an animation trainee and background artist following multiple applications to the studio. After completing a six-month training program, he was promoted to full animator in 1974, marking the beginning of his hands-on contributions to feature animation.[14][15][13] During his time at Disney, Pomeroy contributed to several key productions in the studio's traditional 2D animation pipeline, including Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974), where he animated characters such as Tigger—his first major assignment—Rabbit, and Christopher Robin. He continued with significant roles on The Rescuers (1977), animating sequences involving Penny under supervision, Pete's Dragon (1977), The Small One (1978), and The Fox and the Hound (1981), where he handled character animation for the young fox Tod and the badger Mr. Digger, emphasizing expressive movements and personality through detailed keyframe drawings. These projects showcased Pomeroy's growing expertise in bringing anthropomorphic animals and child characters to life using cel animation techniques.[16][13][17] Pomeroy benefited from mentorship by Ollie Johnston, one of Disney's Nine Old Men, who supervised his work on The Rescuers for over two years and taught him essential animation principles, particularly infusing characters with authentic acting and emotional depth to enhance storytelling. This guidance helped Pomeroy refine squash-and-stretch mechanics and timing for dynamic sequences, aligning with the studio's emphasis on personality animation amid the post-Walt era's constraints.[18][12][13] The Disney animation division in the 1970s operated in a challenging environment following Walt Disney's 1966 death, grappling with creative stagnation, tightening budgets that limited production scale, and reliance on outdated cel-based technology without significant innovations like computer assistance until later decades. Films often faced experimental storytelling risks and financial pressures, contributing to a sense of declining "magic" among younger animators. In September 1979, amid frustrations with the studio's direction during production on The Fox and the Hound, Pomeroy departed alongside Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, taking about one-fifth of the animation staff to form Don Bluth Productions and pursue more ambitious independent projects.[17][7][4]Sullivan Bluth Studios period (1985–1994)
Building on Don Bluth Productions founded in 1979, where Pomeroy served as directing animator on The Secret of NIMH (1982) and co-creator of the groundbreaking laserdisc game Dragon's Lair (1983) along with its sequels Space Ace (1984) and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp (1986), Pomeroy co-founded Sullivan Bluth Studios in 1985 with Don Bluth and Gary Goldman through a partnership with businessman Morris Sullivan. This rebranding focused on feature-length films and built on their prior collaborative experience at Disney, where they had honed skills in character animation and storyboarding. The studio initially operated under the name Don Bluth Productions before partnering with Sullivan to secure financial backing, renaming it Sullivan Bluth Studios to reflect this alliance.[13][7][8] To address production costs and leverage incentives, the studio relocated to Dublin, Ireland, in 1986, receiving the largest grant in Irish history from the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) in exchange for 5% government ownership. This move involved transporting 87 employees and their families, establishing a 42,000-square-foot facility near Phoenix Park by November 1986. Funding challenges persisted as an independent entity, with key projects supported through distribution deals, including partnerships with MGM/UA for films like All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), which helped offset the risks of self-financing amid competition from major studios. Pomeroy played a pivotal role as producer and directing animator, overseeing creative and operational aspects while navigating these financial hurdles.[19][7][20] Pomeroy's contributions spanned production on several landmark films, including An American Tail (1986), where he served as a producer and animator, helping the low-budget project become a box-office success through meticulous hand-drawn techniques. On The Land Before Time (1988), the first feature primarily produced in Ireland, he animated key emotional sequences such as Littlefoot's birth and his mother's death, emphasizing realistic dinosaur movements based on paleontological references to enhance dramatic impact. His work extended to All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), Rock-a-Doodle (1991), and A Troll in Central Park (1994), where he contributed to character design and story development, often participating in storyboard reviews to refine narrative flow and audience emotional engagement.[7][13][19] Throughout this period, Sullivan Bluth Studios prioritized emotional storytelling and traditional hand-drawn animation, differentiating itself from emerging computer-assisted techniques by focusing on expressive character arcs and detailed backgrounds to evoke deeper audience connections. Pomeroy's leadership in these areas helped maintain artistic integrity despite production pressures, though the independent model's volatility contributed to creative burnout and eventual studio closure in 1995.[13][7]Return to Disney and freelance work (1994–2007)
Following the closure of Sullivan Bluth Studios in 1995, John Pomeroy returned to Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1995, where he served as supervising animator for Captain John Smith in Pocahontas (1995), leading a team of 14 animators to bring historical authenticity and dynamic movement to the character.[15][6] He described the studio as transformed during its Renaissance era, with expanded facilities and a renewed focus on talent recruitment under Roy E. Disney, though creative decisions sometimes faced executive interference, such as debates over key scenes.[6] Pomeroy's prior experience at Sullivan Bluth informed his supervising role, emphasizing character believability and team collaboration honed during independent productions.[5] Pomeroy remained with Disney through the late 1990s and early 2000s, contributing as supervising animator for Captain Nathaniel Flint and his crew in Treasure Planet (2002), and lead character designer and supervising animator for Milo Thatch in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), using live-action references to enhance expressive designs. He later served as lead character animator for the Firebird in the 'Firebird Suite' segment of Fantasia 2000 (1999).[15][6] In 2000, he briefly worked at 20th Century Fox Animation as directing animator on Titan A.E., a project that marked his adaptability to multi-studio environments and early experiments in integrating hand-drawn animation with CGI backgrounds for sci-fi action sequences.[9] As Disney shifted toward full CGI production around 2002–2003, offering training for films like Chicken Little but phasing out 2D roles, Pomeroy's contract ended, leading him to freelance work that highlighted the industry's digital transition.[6] He provided storyboarding and animation supervision for Universal's Curious George (2006), employing 2.5D techniques to blend 2D character animation with 3D environments for fluid, whimsical motion.[21][5] This was followed by animation supervision on The Simpsons Movie (2007) at 20th Century Fox, maintaining traditional cel animation amid rising digital tools, and initial storyboarding for DisneyToon Studios' Tinker Bell series in 2007, further demonstrating his versatility across studios during a period of technological evolution.[21][5]Later career and teaching (2007–present)
Following his extensive tenure in feature animation, John Pomeroy transitioned into education and mentorship, leveraging over four decades of industry experience from studios like Disney and Sullivan Bluth to guide emerging artists. In 2013, he joined Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, as an adjunct professor in the animation program, where he teaches introductory and advanced 2D animation courses as well as character design.[12][22] These classes emphasize foundational principles such as timing, squash-and-stretch, and expressive posing, preparing students for professional portfolios and job interviews in the field.[12] Pomeroy also founded the Pomeroy Art Academy, an online platform offering workshops and classes in drawing, illustration, and animation taught by industry veterans including himself.[23] The academy provides accessible, device-agnostic tutorials focused on practical skills like character development and scene composition, allowing students to learn at their own pace without long-term commitments.[23] Complementing his academic role, Pomeroy has continued artistic pursuits, including illustrating the 2018 children's biography Walt's Imagination: The Life of Walt Disney by Doreen Rappaport, where his hand-painted artwork captures key moments in Disney's career with vivid, authentic detail.[24] Additionally, he has contributed concept artwork to the ongoing Dragon's Lair video game series, building on his earlier animation of Princess Daphne.[25] In recent years, Pomeroy has remained active in public speaking and community events, delivering lectures on animation techniques and the medium's evolution. At the Music City Multi-Con in November 2025, he participated as a guest artist, hosting a Q&A panel on his career and showcasing original Dragon's Lair and Space Ace artwork.[26] He has reflected on the industry's shift from traditional 2D hand-drawn animation to digital CGI, noting how Disney's 2001-2002 pivot to computer-generated techniques disrupted workflows but spurred a 2D renaissance through renewed appreciation for classical methods.[10][6] These engagements underscore his commitment to preserving animation's foundational artistry amid technological changes.Filmography
Feature animation credits
John Pomeroy's contributions to feature animation include roles as an animator, supervising animator, directing animator, character designer, producer, and story artist across multiple studios. The following is a chronological list of his verified credits in theatrical animated feature films, grouped by primary role where multiple apply.Animator and Character Animator
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974): Animator.[16]
- The Rescuers (1977): Character animator.[15]
- Pete's Dragon (1977): Character animator.[15]
- The Small One (1978): Animator.[16]
- The Secret of NIMH (1982): Animator.[15]
- Treasure Planet (2002): Animator (additional supervising animation for Captain Flint and crew).[15]
- Curious George (2006): Animator.[15]
- The Simpsons Movie (2007): Animator.[15]
Supervising Animator and Directing Animator
- The Fox and the Hound (1981): Supervising animator (uncredited).
- An American Tail (1986): Directing animator and producer.[15]
- The Land Before Time (1988): Directing animator and producer.[15]
- Pocahontas (1995): Supervising animator for John Smith.[15]
- Fantasia 2000 (1999): Lead character animator for the Firebird (The Firebird Suite segment).[15]
- Thumbelina (1994): Directing animator and producer.[7]
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001): Supervising animator for Milo Thatch (lead character designer).[15]
- Anastasia (1997): Directing animator.[7]
Producer
- All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989): Producer.
Story Contributions
- Rock-a-Doodle (1991): Story (additional contributions).