Tad Stones
Encyclopedia
Tad Stones is an American
animator
, screenwriter
, producer
and director
best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company
, where he worked from 1974 to 2003. His most notable credits for Disney include creating, writing and producing the animated series Darkwing Duck
and producing Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
, Aladdin
and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
. His latest project is the animated series Bob's Burgers
, which premiered in January 2011 on Fox
.
, Stones started with Disney training under animation veteran Eric Larson
. He entered the Feature Animation training program three days after his college graduation in 1974. After animating a scene in The Rescuers
, Stones moved into the story department on The Fox and the Hound. A brief stint at Walt Disney Imagineering
followed, where he worked on Epcot
's Transportation pavilion and the Imagination pavilion.
Stones worked at Walt Disney Television Animation
since its formation in 1984. He was one of the creative forces behind many of the Disney Afternoon shows of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was a writer for the cartoon Sport Goofy in Soccermania
, Stones would continue to work with Walt Disney Animation Studios, turning the pairing of Scrooge McDuck
and Donald Duck
's nephews into the animated TV series, DuckTales
. He was one of the writers and producers of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
and Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
(third season only). In 1990, Stones was asked to develop an original concept inspired by two episodes of Ducktales
; he illustrated what would eventually become known as Darkwing Duck
. Stones wrote and produced the pilot film for the show, Darkly Dawns the Duck, which premiered in April 1991. After the success of the pilot, Stones served as writer and producer of the show until the end of its run in late 1992. According to an interview, the character of Gosalyn Mallard was partly based on what he believed his then two-year-old daughter would be like when she grew older.
After Darkwing Duck, Stones served as executive producer, story editor, and director in Aladdin
, a television series based on the original film. In 1994, he co-wrote, produced and directed The Return of Jafar
, a direct-to-video
sequel
to the 1992 film Aladdin. He also directed and produced a second sequel to Aladdin in 1996, Aladdin and the King of Thieves
. The film marked the end of the Aladdin films and the Aladdin animated series.
In 1998, Stones served as executive producer of Hercules: The Animated Series
. Two years later, he directed the direct-to-video film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
. The film served as pilot episode to the 2000 television series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
, which Stones also produced. In 2003, he directed Atlantis: Milo's Return
, the direct-to-video sequel to the film Atlantis: The Lost Empire
.
Stones worked at Disney for almost 30 years before leaving the company in 2003. In 2004, he started working at Universal Cartoon Studios, where he produced a direct-to-video feature about Brer Rabbit called The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
. Stones directed, produced and co-wrote with Mike Mignola
Hellboy: Sword of Storms, the first of two direct-to-video animated films based on Mignola's popular comic book
series Hellboy
. Stones, a long time comic book reader, had worked previously with Mignola on developing Atlantis: The Lost Empire into an animated series. Hellboy: Sword of Storms made its television debut in the United States on October 28, 2006 on Cartoon Network
. Hellboy: Blood and Iron, the second film in the Hellboy animated series
, was screened on television in 2007. Stones completed the screenplay for a third film in the series, 'The Phantom Claw" based on a story by Stones and Mignola but it remains unproduced at this time. Stones was the Supervising Producer and Director on another DVD at Film Roman Studios, Turok:Son of Stone Turok#Animated DVDbased on the classic Gold Key comic book series.
He has also written "Pyramid of Death", one of the two stories in the first volume of the Hellboy Animated comic book
adaptation. He wrote and illustrated another young Hellboy story in the second volume which featured another creation of Mike Mignola's, Lobster Johnson, ""The Menace of the Mechanical Monster." He also illustrated a story written by Todd Dezago in the third issue of "The Perhapanauts" published by Image Comics. He has also wrote for The Super Hero Squad Show
and Generator Rex
. He worked as an artist on Neighbors from Hell
and Bob's Burgers
. He has also contributed a script for the first annual of the comicbook revival of Darkwing Duck.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animator
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...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and 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 for The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, where he worked from 1974 to 2003. His most notable credits for Disney include creating, writing and producing the animated series Darkwing Duck
Darkwing Duck
DarkWing Duck is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company that ran from 1991–1992 on both the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and Saturday mornings on ABC. It featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered...
and producing Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove, it featured the established Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale in a new setting. The series premiered on the Disney Channel on March 4, 1989,...
, Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears is an American animated television series that aired in the United States in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s...
, Aladdin
Aladdin (TV series)
Aladdin is an animated television series made by Walt Disney Television which aired from 1994 to 1995, based on the original 1992 feature. Coming on the heels of the direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar, the series picked up where that installment left off, with Aladdin now living in the...
and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is an American animated science fiction/adventure/comedy series produced by Walt Disney Television. The character is from the planet Zurtron. The series originally aired on UPN and ABC from October 2000 to January 2001 as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning...
. His latest project is the animated series Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers is an American animated television sitcom, which premiered on January 9, 2011 on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was created by Loren Bouchard and focuses on the Belcher family, who runs a hamburger restaurant. On April 7, 2011, Bob's Burgers was renewed for a second season...
, which premiered in January 2011 on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
Career biography
Born in Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, Stones started with Disney training under animation veteran 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."...
. He entered the Feature Animation training program three days after his college graduation in 1974. After animating a scene in 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...
, Stones moved into the story department on The Fox and the Hound. A brief stint at Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...
followed, where he worked on Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
's Transportation pavilion and the Imagination pavilion.
Stones worked at Walt Disney Television Animation
Walt Disney Television Animation
Disney Television Animation is an American animation studio that is the TV animation production arm of the Disney-ABC Television Group, owned by The Walt Disney Company, dedicated to creating, developing and producing animated television series, films, specials and other projects.Established in...
since its formation in 1984. He was one of the creative forces behind many of the Disney Afternoon shows of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was a writer for the cartoon Sport Goofy in Soccermania
Sport Goofy in Soccermania
Sport Goofy in Soccermania is a Disney cartoon. During its 1987 debut it was preceded by a mockumentary showing past Goofy cartoons of him always getting everything wrong, and leading into the cartoon special where the audience is finally shown a competent, athletic Goofy who is the hero.-Plot:In...
, Stones would continue to work with Walt Disney Animation Studios, turning the pairing of Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
and Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
's nephews into the animated TV series, DuckTales
DuckTales
DuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
. He was one of the writers and producers of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove, it featured the established Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale in a new setting. The series premiered on the Disney Channel on March 4, 1989,...
and Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears
Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears is an American animated television series that aired in the United States in the mid-1980s through the early 1990s...
(third season only). In 1990, Stones was asked to develop an original concept inspired by two episodes of Ducktales
DuckTales
DuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
; he illustrated what would eventually become known as Darkwing Duck
Darkwing Duck
DarkWing Duck is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company that ran from 1991–1992 on both the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and Saturday mornings on ABC. It featured the eponymous anthropomorphic duck superhero whose alter ego is mild-mannered...
. Stones wrote and produced the pilot film for the show, Darkly Dawns the Duck, which premiered in April 1991. After the success of the pilot, Stones served as writer and producer of the show until the end of its run in late 1992. According to an interview, the character of Gosalyn Mallard was partly based on what he believed his then two-year-old daughter would be like when she grew older.
After Darkwing Duck, Stones served as executive producer, story editor, and director in Aladdin
Aladdin (TV series)
Aladdin is an animated television series made by Walt Disney Television which aired from 1994 to 1995, based on the original 1992 feature. Coming on the heels of the direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar, the series picked up where that installment left off, with Aladdin now living in the...
, a television series based on the original film. In 1994, he co-wrote, produced and directed The Return of Jafar
The Return of Jafar
The Return of Jafar is a 1994 American animated film that is a direct-to-video sequel to the 1992 animated film Aladdin, both produced by The Walt Disney Company. The film was released on May 20, 1994 and serves as the origin of the Aladdin animated series...
, a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the 1992 film Aladdin. He also directed and produced a second sequel to Aladdin in 1996, Aladdin and the King of Thieves
Aladdin and the King of Thieves
Aladdin and the King of Thieves is a 1996 animated film that is the second direct-to-video sequel to the Disney animated feature Aladdin...
. The film marked the end of the Aladdin films and the Aladdin animated series.
In 1998, Stones served as executive producer of Hercules: The Animated Series
Hercules: The Animated Series
Hercules is an animated series based on the 1997 film of the same name and the Greek myth. The series follows teenage Hercules training as a hero as well as trying to adjust to life. With his free-spirited friend Icarus, his future-seeing friend Cassandra and his teacher Philoctetes , he battles...
. Two years later, he directed the direct-to-video film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins aka Buzz Lightyear of Star Command the Beginning is a 2000 Disney animated direct-to-video film that acts as a pilot to the television series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command...
. The film served as pilot episode to the 2000 television series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is an American animated science fiction/adventure/comedy series produced by Walt Disney Television. The character is from the planet Zurtron. The series originally aired on UPN and ABC from October 2000 to January 2001 as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning...
, which Stones also produced. In 2003, he directed Atlantis: Milo's Return
Atlantis: Milo's Return
Atlantis: Milo's Return, released in 2003, is Disney's twentieth animated direct-to-video sequel. It is a sequel to the film Atlantis: The Lost Empire....
, the direct-to-video sequel to the film Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Written by Tab Murphy, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn, it is the first science fiction film in the Disney animated features canon and the 41st overall. The film...
.
Stones worked at Disney for almost 30 years before leaving the company in 2003. In 2004, he started working at Universal Cartoon Studios, where he produced a direct-to-video feature about Brer Rabbit called The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
The Adventures of Brer Rabbit
The Adventures of Brer Rabbit is the title of book, a play, and a film inspired by the Uncle Remus stories. The central character's actual name is Br'er Rabbit, but the title is simplified as "Brer." The film also has the distinction to be the second film to be released by Universal Studios under...
. Stones directed, produced and co-wrote with Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
Hellboy: Sword of Storms, the first of two direct-to-video animated films based on Mignola's popular comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
. Stones, a long time comic book reader, had worked previously with Mignola on developing Atlantis: The Lost Empire into an animated series. Hellboy: Sword of Storms made its television debut in the United States on October 28, 2006 on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
. Hellboy: Blood and Iron, the second film in the Hellboy animated series
Hellboy (animated series)
Hellboy Animated are original straight-to-DVD animated films based upon the comic book character. Both films, Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron, received the signature of Mike Mignola and Guillermo del Toro...
, was screened on television in 2007. Stones completed the screenplay for a third film in the series, 'The Phantom Claw" based on a story by Stones and Mignola but it remains unproduced at this time. Stones was the Supervising Producer and Director on another DVD at Film Roman Studios, Turok:Son of Stone Turok#Animated DVDbased on the classic Gold Key comic book series.
He has also written "Pyramid of Death", one of the two stories in the first volume of the Hellboy Animated comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
adaptation. He wrote and illustrated another young Hellboy story in the second volume which featured another creation of Mike Mignola's, Lobster Johnson, ""The Menace of the Mechanical Monster." He also illustrated a story written by Todd Dezago in the third issue of "The Perhapanauts" published by Image Comics. He has also wrote for The Super Hero Squad Show
The Super Hero Squad Show
The Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
and Generator Rex
Generator Rex
Generator Rex is an American animated television series for Cartoon Network and is created by "Man of Action" . John Fang of Cartoon Network Studios serves as supervising director. It is inspired by the comic M. Rex, published by Image Comics in 1999...
. He worked as an artist on Neighbors from Hell
Neighbors from Hell
Neighbours from Hell is a strategy video game for Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox. In Europe, it was released for Windows on June 20, 2003, and the GameCube and Xbox on March 4, 2005...
and Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers
Bob's Burgers is an American animated television sitcom, which premiered on January 9, 2011 on the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was created by Loren Bouchard and focuses on the Belcher family, who runs a hamburger restaurant. On April 7, 2011, Bob's Burgers was renewed for a second season...
. He has also contributed a script for the first annual of the comicbook revival of Darkwing Duck.
External links
- Hellboy Animated blog run by Tad Stones
- Podcast Interview with Tad Stones
- Flames Rising Interview with Tad Stones (August '08)
- Turok: Son of Stone DVD