Mike Disa is one of those animation filmmakers whose name might not sound familiar, yet chances are you’ve seen his work at some point over the last couple of decades. He’s worked for studios like Disney and Paramount, and has directed such actors as Hayden Panettiere and Glenn Close. Read on for all the details on Mike Disa:
Born into Art
Growing up in Chicago, Mike Disa almost seemed predestined to eventually pursue a career in animation.
His father was an art teacher who instilled in him a passion for the arts, and Mike subsequently spent most of his teen years perfecting his off-kilter drawing technique. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in art and computer programming, Mike packed up all of his possessions into his grandfather’s Oldsmobile and headed out to Hollywood.
Tough Beginnings
Mike’s first few years in Los Angeles were tough, and the aspiring filmmaker was forced to take on a series of odd jobs to support himself. In the early 1990s, however, Mike began landing a series of thankless yet resume-building gigs within the animation industry – including a stint as a storyboard artist on the Yogi Bear series Yo Yogi! From there, Mike was invited to join the team at Disney Animation and he spent much of the 1990s working on films like Pocahontas, Hercules, and Tarzan.
Mike Disa Makes his Directorial Debut
After working as an animator on such movies as 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire and 2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Mike was invited to make his filmmaking debut on the 2005 short film The Origin of Stitch.
The movie, included on the DVD release of Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, allowed Mike the chance to put his own distinctive stamp on the ongoing Lilo & Stitch series, and it wasn’t long before he was being invited to direct other animated projects. (He remained faithful to Disney, however, and worked as a storyboard artist on the studio’s straight-to-video Tinker Bell spin-off in 2008.)
Mike Disa Goes Adult
In 2010, Mike was invited to oversee production of an adult-oriented anthology film based on the Dante’s Inferno video game. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic proved that Mike was able to tackle more than just family-friendly fare, and Mike quickly moved onto another video game adaptation: 2011’s Dead Space: Aftermath. Mike was even asked to lend a hand to Rob Zombie for his animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, which features voice work from folks like Paul Giamatti, Tom Kenny, and Rosario Dawson.
Mike Directs Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
It was around that time that Mike was handed his most high-profile gig to date, as he was asked to direct the sequel to 2005’s Hoodwinked! Released in 2011, Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil follows the further adventures of Red (Hayden Panettiere, taking over for Anne Hathaway) and, unlike its predecessor, was released to theaters in 3-D. Not too shabby for a kid from the South Side of Chicago.
Born into Art
Growing up in Chicago, Mike Disa almost seemed predestined to eventually pursue a career in animation.
His father was an art teacher who instilled in him a passion for the arts, and Mike subsequently spent most of his teen years perfecting his off-kilter drawing technique. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in art and computer programming, Mike packed up all of his possessions into his grandfather’s Oldsmobile and headed out to Hollywood.
Tough Beginnings
Mike’s first few years in Los Angeles were tough, and the aspiring filmmaker was forced to take on a series of odd jobs to support himself. In the early 1990s, however, Mike began landing a series of thankless yet resume-building gigs within the animation industry – including a stint as a storyboard artist on the Yogi Bear series Yo Yogi! From there, Mike was invited to join the team at Disney Animation and he spent much of the 1990s working on films like Pocahontas, Hercules, and Tarzan.
Mike Disa Makes his Directorial Debut
After working as an animator on such movies as 2001’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire and 2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Mike was invited to make his filmmaking debut on the 2005 short film The Origin of Stitch.
The movie, included on the DVD release of Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, allowed Mike the chance to put his own distinctive stamp on the ongoing Lilo & Stitch series, and it wasn’t long before he was being invited to direct other animated projects. (He remained faithful to Disney, however, and worked as a storyboard artist on the studio’s straight-to-video Tinker Bell spin-off in 2008.)
Mike Disa Goes Adult
In 2010, Mike was invited to oversee production of an adult-oriented anthology film based on the Dante’s Inferno video game. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic proved that Mike was able to tackle more than just family-friendly fare, and Mike quickly moved onto another video game adaptation: 2011’s Dead Space: Aftermath. Mike was even asked to lend a hand to Rob Zombie for his animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, which features voice work from folks like Paul Giamatti, Tom Kenny, and Rosario Dawson.
Mike Directs Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
It was around that time that Mike was handed his most high-profile gig to date, as he was asked to direct the sequel to 2005’s Hoodwinked! Released in 2011, Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil follows the further adventures of Red (Hayden Panettiere, taking over for Anne Hathaway) and, unlike its predecessor, was released to theaters in 3-D. Not too shabby for a kid from the South Side of Chicago.
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