Donovan Cook
Encyclopedia
Donovan R. Cook III is an American
film director
and animator, best known for creating, directing and producing the animated series 2 Stupid Dogs
and directing the Disney
animated features Return to Never Land
and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
.
Donovan Cook was born in Antioch, California
in 1968. He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts
in 1990 and has worked as an animator on several different Disney animated movies, such as The Little Mermaid
and the Mickey Mouse
adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper
.
In 1992, he created the Emmy-nominated TV series 2 Stupid Dogs
for Hanna-Barbera
, which was significant in bringing back the extremely graphic style Hanna-Barbera cartoons had in the 1950s and 60s. The style he revived in 2 Stupid Dogs has been emulated and copied numerous times since. Cook then returned to Disney, where he developed and produced the series Nightmare Ned
. In 1998, he returned to feature animation when he co-directed Return to Never Land
for Disney. In 2001, he took on the challenge of directing the first feature-length film of Mickey Mouse series characters: Mickey Mouse
, Donald Duck
and Goofy
. The film, Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
, premiered worldwide on DVD
in 2004. He also served as a director for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
.
Cook was originally scheduled to co-direct the film Space Chimps
, but he would be subsequently scrapped from the project.
His latest project was the indie film
Rideshare: The Movie, the first film ever to be shot on the iPhone 4
. It was released on April 12, 2011 on the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival
, being subsequently shown on the Honolulu Film Awards. It has won positive reviews.
Cook is currently developing a major motion picture
that combines CGI
animation and live action
film techniques.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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:...
and animator, best known for creating, directing and producing the animated series 2 Stupid Dogs
2 Stupid Dogs
2 Stupid Dogs was an American animated television series created by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services that originally ran from September 5, 1993 to February 13, 1995 on TBS. The main segments of the show featured two dogs, "Big Dog" and "Little Dog". The Big Dog...
and directing the Disney
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...
animated features Return to Never Land
Return to Never Land
Return to Never Land is a 2002 American animated film produced by DisneyToon Studios in Sydney, Australia and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is a sequel to the 1953 film Peter Pan, based on J.M...
and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
Mickey · Donald · Goofy: The Three Musketeers is a direct-to-video animated film adaptation of the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. As the title suggests, it features Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as the three musketeers...
.
Donovan Cook was born in Antioch, California
Antioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
in 1968. He graduated from 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...
in 1990 and has worked as an animator on several different Disney animated movies, such as The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid (1989 film)
The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 14, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
and the Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
.
In 1992, he created the Emmy-nominated TV series 2 Stupid Dogs
2 Stupid Dogs
2 Stupid Dogs was an American animated television series created by Donovan Cook and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services that originally ran from September 5, 1993 to February 13, 1995 on TBS. The main segments of the show featured two dogs, "Big Dog" and "Little Dog". The Big Dog...
for Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, which was significant in bringing back the extremely graphic style Hanna-Barbera cartoons had in the 1950s and 60s. The style he revived in 2 Stupid Dogs has been emulated and copied numerous times since. Cook then returned to Disney, where he developed and produced the series Nightmare Ned
Nightmare Ned
Nightmare Ned was a short-lived animated television series which ran from April 19, 1997 to August 9, 1997 on ABC. Based on a homonymous video game developed by Creative Capers Entertainment, the show focuses on the life of Ned Needlemeyer , a 10-year-old boy that deals with his daily problems...
. In 1998, he returned to feature animation when he co-directed Return to Never Land
Return to Never Land
Return to Never Land is a 2002 American animated film produced by DisneyToon Studios in Sydney, Australia and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is a sequel to the 1953 film Peter Pan, based on J.M...
for Disney. In 2001, he took on the challenge of directing the first feature-length film of Mickey Mouse series characters: Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, 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...
and Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
. The film, Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
Mickey · Donald · Goofy: The Three Musketeers is a direct-to-video animated film adaptation of the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. As the title suggests, it features Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy as the three musketeers...
, premiered worldwide on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2004. He also served as a director for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a children's television series, that premiered in prime time on Disney Channel on May 5, 2006. The program was originally part of the Playhouse Disney daily block intended for preschoolers...
.
Cook was originally scheduled to co-direct the film Space Chimps
Space Chimps
Space Chimps is a 2008 computer-animated family comedy film produced by Vanguard Animation, Starz Media and 20th Century Fox, and it was released on July 18, 2008. The film is produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, John H. Williams, and John W...
, but he would be subsequently scrapped from the project.
His latest project was the indie film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
Rideshare: The Movie, the first film ever to be shot on the iPhone 4
IPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
. It was released on April 12, 2011 on the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival
Buffalo Niagara Film Festival
The Buffalo Niagara Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Buffalo, New York which showcases over 35 films annually.The inaugural festival was held March 26-21, 2007...
, being subsequently shown on the Honolulu Film Awards. It has won positive reviews.
Cook is currently developing a major motion picture
Major Motion Picture
Major Motion Picture is an EP by Punchline.-Track listing:# "Express"# "I Don't Know"# "Weekends"# "Here Goes Nothing"# "You Mean the World to Me"# "Yearlong Winter"# "Cold as You"# "Lights Out"...
that combines CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
animation and live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
film techniques.