Mike Gabriel
Encyclopedia
Mike Gabriel is an American animator
and film director
, best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios and as co-director of the Disney films The Rescuers Down Under
(1990) and Pocahontas
(1995).
Gabriel studied in the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts
. He began his career as a Disney animator on the 1982 animated short Fun with Mr. Future. He was mentored under Eric Larson
's training program, and went on to work on the 1985 feature The Black Cauldron
. He also served as an animator on The Great Mouse Detective
(1986) and Oliver and Company (1988). Hendel Butoy joined Gabriel to direct The Rescuers Down Under
, a sequel to the successful 1977 Disney film The Rescuers
, while Eric Goldberg
and Gabriel collaborated on Pocahontas.
In 2004, Gabriel directed an animated short for Disney entitled Lorenzo
, a hybrid of traditional
and computer animation
about a lazy cat who has a spell cast on his tail that forces it to tango
with him. Lorenzo was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows
in 2004.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios and as co-director of the Disney films The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990...
(1990) and Pocahontas
Pocahontas (1995 film)
Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...
(1995).
Gabriel studied in the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
. He began his career as a Disney animator on the 1982 animated short Fun with Mr. Future. He was mentored under Eric Larson
Eric Larson
Eric Larson was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios starting in 1933 and was one of the "Disney's Nine Old Men."...
's training program, and went on to work on the 1985 feature The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron can refer to:* The Black Cauldron , the second novel in The Chronicles of Prydain series* The Black Cauldron , the Disney animated film based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series...
. He also served as an animator on The Great Mouse Detective
The Great Mouse Detective
The Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
(1986) and Oliver and Company (1988). Hendel Butoy joined Gabriel to direct The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990...
, a sequel to the successful 1977 Disney film The Rescuers
The Rescuers
The Rescuers is a 1977 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The 23rd film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization headquartered in New York and shadowing...
, while Eric Goldberg
Eric Goldberg (film director)
Eric Goldberg is an American animator and film director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He's also well known as the creator of Disney character Genie in Aladdin...
and Gabriel collaborated on Pocahontas.
In 2004, Gabriel directed an animated short for Disney entitled Lorenzo
Lorenzo (film)
Lorenzo is a 2004 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation about a cat, Lorenzo, who is "dismayed to discover that his tail has developed a personality of its own." The short was directed by Mike Gabriel and produced by Baker Bloodworth...
, a hybrid of traditional
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
and computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
about a lazy cat who has a spell cast on his tail that forces it to tango
Tango (ballroom)
Ballroom Tango is a ballroom dance that branched away from its original Argentine roots by allowing European, American, Hollywood, and competitive influences into the style and execution of the dance....
with him. Lorenzo was nominated for the 2005 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. It was also included in the Animation Show of Shows
Animation show of shows
The Animation Show of Shows is a traveling selection of the year's best animated short films, curated and presented by Acme Filmworks founder, Ron Diamond. It began in 1998 with the aim of showing the most original, funny, intelligent short animated films from all over the world and presenting them...
in 2004.