Cartoonist
Rick Farmiloe, Dreamworks
Rick Farmiloe draws for a living. He has worked on films for Disney and Dreamworks. He has truly pursued his animation passion since deciding that he wanted to draw at age 9.
Under the mentorship of this animator, he started to really work at drawing by going to the park or the zoo everyday, and just drew what he saw. He then applied to Disney in 1982, and was hired as an assistant to the movie the movie Black Cauldron, where he learned from his mentor about the ins and outs of movie making.
Through his hard work, he eventually moved up to animator in the movie The Great Mouse Detective. From there he worked on Oliver and Company, drew Scuttle from The Little Mermaid, Abu from Aladdin, Le Fou from Beauty and The Beast, and Puffin from The Swan Princess. He has also worked on the storyboards of Shrek and the Rugrats movie. He has worked on the T.V. series Camp Lazlo and is currently working on the new Simpsons movie.
In the interview, we asked him about obstacles to overcome in the industry and advice to students interested in drawing animation for a living. Here is what we came up with:
What is the biggest obstacle you have overcome?
“The biggest obstacle I overcame was probably self doubt. There were times where I was in a room with people that could outdraw me, or when I was doubting my talent, and that was overcome with persistence. Persistence, and drawing until you’re good enough allowed by to gain confidence. That, and having success, and taking that success with you to improve your confidence.”
What would be your advice to students wanting to get into the animation industry?
“Learn to eat Top Ramen. No seriously, if you want it bad enough, you can do it. You have to deal with failure, and a lot of artists are very sensitive to this. But if you are persistent and work hard, you can overcome failure.”
“The animation industry is hard to break into, but if you excel in school that may be enough to get you in. A lot of the people here were hired right out of school because their talent was recognized in class and their talent was too much too pass up.”
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THERE ARE 3 RESPONSES TO THIS INTERVIEW
Steve Says:
June 14th, 2006
I am so impressed and inspired by my older brother’s success. Way to go Bro….
Martin Says:
June 10th, 2007
I’m liking this site even more. I was glad yo see an interviw with Rick Farmiloe, one of the coolest artists in Hollywood.
» LinkSwitch – A Roundup of Great Links Across the Web Says:
June 17th, 2007
[…] people who do what they love for a living. On last years journey he interviewed two freelancers – Rick Farmiloe who is a successful illustrator (and drew Abu in Aladdin for Disney), and Justin Bua who is a […]
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