The second season of Wander has been hugely satisfying to work on. First, I was able to board more episodes - which is my favorite thing to do. And second, I actually got to direct episodes with Lord Hater in them!
YESSS!
And this is a juicy one - full of heartbreak, rage, jealousy, revenge, explosions, spaceships, evil sandwiches and love! Such shipping! So much fun to draw! So much fun to direct!
Huge thanks to Craig for giving me this one, Mike Yank, Frank and Amy for writing it, and Andy Bean for the best song I've ever had stuck in my head for six weeks.
Monday, September 28, 2015
The Big Day Storyboard
This season of Wander I took a storyboard rotation in addition to my responsibilities as Supervising Director and Producer.
There's nothing better than boarding and directing your own episodes. (except maybe WRITING, boarding and directing - which I got to do on the Mickey Mouse shorts!) In any case, this is why working at Disney TVA is AWESOME. If you can do the job, they let you!
If you compare the drawing quality of my Wander boards to the Fairly Oddparents or TUFF Puppy boards, you'll see that the Wander drawings are a lot less polished.
It's not that I put less time into them, or forgot how to draw, it's that the time was put into different places.
The emphasis on FOP was graphic design and written jokes. On Wander the emphasis is on performance and animation.
On a FOP board I would average about 600 panels a board. On a Wander board I would average about 1500. Obviously I had more time per panel on FOP.
Every show is different! My job is to make the creator happy, whatever that may mean.
I should also point out that this is the shipping version of the board, so it includes the character layouts by Justin Nichols (scenes 17, 20, 32 and 35,) and James Suhr, (scenes 87 and 155 156 160.)
Monday, December 1, 2014
6 Annie Nominations for Wander!
Congratulations to the entire Wander Over Yonder Crew for it's 6 Annie Nominations!
I'm honored to be working with you all!
Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience
Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Justin Nichols - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Benjamin Balistreri - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Benjamin Balistreri - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
David Thomas - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation - HEY THAT"S ME!!
Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Alex Kirwan, Chris Tsirigotis, Alexander Duckworth, Janice Kubo & Francis Giglio - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Mark Ackland - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
David Thomas - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation - HEY THAT"S ME!!
Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Alex Kirwan, Chris Tsirigotis, Alexander Duckworth, Janice Kubo & Francis Giglio - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Mark Ackland - Wander Over Yonder - Disney Television Animation
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Happy Trails
Craig McCracken has invited me to be the Supervising Director of his new series, "Wander Over Yonder," which he is producing with Lauren Faust.
The series probably won't be on the air until late 2013, so I won't have anything to post 'til then. However, if anyone has any questions about the Fairly Oddparents I was involved with - or TUFF Puppy, feel free to write.
With Every Good Wish,
Dave Thomas
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Welcome Back
Nickelodeon officially announced a new season of Fairly Oddparents yesterday at the Upfronts. The series will be produced concurrently with TUFf Puppy, so you can look forward to new episodes of both on Nickelodeon!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Farewell Ricky Garduno
I am sad to say that Ricky Garduno has passed away, losing a long battle with depression.
Ricky was a board artist on El Tigre. We had a lot of great artists on the show, but Ricky was special. His work always stood out.
Like his boards, Ricky was rebelious, anarchistic, and undisiplined. But also passionate, hilarious, and at times brilliant.
Like his boards, Ricky was rebelious, anarchistic, and undisiplined. But also passionate, hilarious, and at times brilliant.
Ricky and I didn't always see eye to eye. But I will say this: Ricky was the closest thing to a true Artist that I've ever know. I admired him, and have often wished I had the courage to be more like him. He lived by his beliefs and his ideals.
Ricky boarded the series finale of El Tigre. And it seems a fitting tribute to post that here.
Farewell, Ricky. You will be missed.
Farewell, Ricky. You will be missed.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Working in animation is fun!
Every year Nickelodeon throws a Halloween party, and it's really special. Each crew transforms their work area into a haunted house, and gives out candy to the all the lucky kids who are invited. This year the TUFF Puppy crew built King Mutt's tomb, and I wanted to share it with you.
It started out with a little animation of the Chief - which I did in Flash.
Then comes the amazing stuff! Like entrance to King Mutt's tomb:
Inside, we find the tomb is filled with booby traps!
And finally you come to the treasure chamber. And guess what? The treasure is CANDY!!
Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to craft such an amazing Haunted House!
It started out with a little animation of the Chief - which I did in Flash.
Then comes the amazing stuff! Like entrance to King Mutt's tomb:
Inside, we find the tomb is filled with booby traps!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Lights Out
New week - new storyboard. Actually, an old board: Fairly Oddparents, Lights Out. I thought this episode would be really easy because so much of it happened in the dark - and from a draftsmanship point of view it was. But from a thinking POV it turned out to be a real challenge to keep things interesting and to imply all of the action in a clear way. Usually I split my time 50/50 between planning and drawing. this time it was 80/20.
Hats off to Kevin Sullivan for his fine script.
Lights Out
Hats off to Kevin Sullivan for his fine script.
Lights Out
Friday, October 7, 2011
Sneak Peek!
What diabolical scheme could these losers be hatching?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
TUFF Puppy gets 20 more half hours!
Here's the press release:
Nickelodeon Greenlights Third Season of Newest Animated Hit, "T.U.F.F. Puppy"
20 New Episodes from Creator and Hit-Maker Butch Hartman to Roll Out in 2012
Burbank, Calif., July 29, 2011 - Nickelodeon, the number-one kids' brand and largest producer of television animation in the world, has picked up a third season of T.U.F.F. Puppy, the newest hit animated series from Nicktoon hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), it was announced today by Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. The network is adding 20 episodes to the series, bringing the total number to 60. T.U.F.F. Puppy, starring iCarly's Jerry Trainor as Dudley, currently ranks as the number-two animated program with kids 2-11, only behind SpongeBob SquarePants.
"Currently our second highest rated animated series, T.U.F.F. Puppy has been a huge success on Saturday mornings right out of the gate, which is no surprise coming from the incredibly talented Butch Hartman, the only creator at Nick with three shows under his belt -- The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and now T.U.F.F. Puppy," said Johnson. "The show is laugh-out-loud funny in no small part due to iCarly's Jerry Trainor, who brings his incredible comedic sensibility to the role."
"I am truly thrilled to be able to make a brand-new litter of T.U.F.F. Puppy episodes," said Butch Hartman. "I love working on the show and I'm looking forward to expanding the world of Dudley Puppy with more villains, more gadgets, and even some surprises from Dudley and Kitty's past." A hit since its October 2010 premiere, T.U.F.F. Puppy ranks as the number-two animated program on television with kids 2-11 (behind only SpongeBob SquarePants) year to date. The series currently averages 3.6 million total viewers (source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + 7 Day data 12/27/10- 6/19/11, Live + Same Day data thru 7/3/11).
T.U.F.F. Puppy will be launching internationally on Nickelodeon Australia later this month with all other international channels premiering the series in August.
T.U.F.F. Puppy follows Dudley Puppy (voiced by iCarly's Jerry Trainor), a gung-ho, dim-witted dog who finds himself accidentally thrust into the role of secret agent when he's recruited by the supersecret, crime-fighting organization, T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force). He partners with Kitty Katswell, a feline superspy who is an amazing kung-fu and weapons expert. Naturally, they don't get along, but together they protect their hometown of Petropolis and the rest of the world against the evil animal organization, D.O.O.M. (Diabolical Order of Mayhem).
In addition to Trainor as Dudley, the T.U.F.F. Puppy cast features Grey DeLisle (The Fairly OddParents) as Kitty Katswell, Jeff Bennett (The Penguins of Madagascar) as Keswick, Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents) as Chief and Matthew Taylor (Open Season) as Snaptrap.
Butch Hartman began his animation career as an assistant animator on An American Tail. He directed cartoons and created his own shorts for What a Cartoon!, and also wrote and directed episodes of Dexter's Laboratory, Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo. Hartman joined Nickelodeon in 1998 where he created and produced several cartoon shorts for the Oh Yeah! Cartoons series, including the Emmy Award-winning The Fairly OddParents, which is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this year with a live-action/CG animated movie A Fairly Odd Movie, Grow Up Timmy Turner! that premiered on July 9. Hartman also created Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom and is the only creator in Nickelodeon's history who has had three hit animated shows on the network.
Read more:Breaking News - Nickelodeon Greenlights Third Season of Newest Animated Hit, "T.U.F.F. Puppy" | TheFutonCritic.comhttp://thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/07/29/nickelodeon-greenlights-third-season-of-newest-animated-hit-tuff-puppy-603013/20110729nickelodeon02/#ixzz1TWTT7p2v
20 New Episodes from Creator and Hit-Maker Butch Hartman to Roll Out in 2012
Burbank, Calif., July 29, 2011 - Nickelodeon, the number-one kids' brand and largest producer of television animation in the world, has picked up a third season of T.U.F.F. Puppy, the newest hit animated series from Nicktoon hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), it was announced today by Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. The network is adding 20 episodes to the series, bringing the total number to 60. T.U.F.F. Puppy, starring iCarly's Jerry Trainor as Dudley, currently ranks as the number-two animated program with kids 2-11, only behind SpongeBob SquarePants.
"Currently our second highest rated animated series, T.U.F.F. Puppy has been a huge success on Saturday mornings right out of the gate, which is no surprise coming from the incredibly talented Butch Hartman, the only creator at Nick with three shows under his belt -- The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and now T.U.F.F. Puppy," said Johnson. "The show is laugh-out-loud funny in no small part due to iCarly's Jerry Trainor, who brings his incredible comedic sensibility to the role."
"I am truly thrilled to be able to make a brand-new litter of T.U.F.F. Puppy episodes," said Butch Hartman. "I love working on the show and I'm looking forward to expanding the world of Dudley Puppy with more villains, more gadgets, and even some surprises from Dudley and Kitty's past." A hit since its October 2010 premiere, T.U.F.F. Puppy ranks as the number-two animated program on television with kids 2-11 (behind only SpongeBob SquarePants) year to date. The series currently averages 3.6 million total viewers (source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + 7 Day data 12/27/10- 6/19/11, Live + Same Day data thru 7/3/11).
T.U.F.F. Puppy will be launching internationally on Nickelodeon Australia later this month with all other international channels premiering the series in August.
T.U.F.F. Puppy follows Dudley Puppy (voiced by iCarly's Jerry Trainor), a gung-ho, dim-witted dog who finds himself accidentally thrust into the role of secret agent when he's recruited by the supersecret, crime-fighting organization, T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force). He partners with Kitty Katswell, a feline superspy who is an amazing kung-fu and weapons expert. Naturally, they don't get along, but together they protect their hometown of Petropolis and the rest of the world against the evil animal organization, D.O.O.M. (Diabolical Order of Mayhem).
In addition to Trainor as Dudley, the T.U.F.F. Puppy cast features Grey DeLisle (The Fairly OddParents) as Kitty Katswell, Jeff Bennett (The Penguins of Madagascar) as Keswick, Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents) as Chief and Matthew Taylor (Open Season) as Snaptrap.
Butch Hartman began his animation career as an assistant animator on An American Tail. He directed cartoons and created his own shorts for What a Cartoon!, and also wrote and directed episodes of Dexter's Laboratory, Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo. Hartman joined Nickelodeon in 1998 where he created and produced several cartoon shorts for the Oh Yeah! Cartoons series, including the Emmy Award-winning The Fairly OddParents, which is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this year with a live-action/CG animated movie A Fairly Odd Movie, Grow Up Timmy Turner! that premiered on July 9. Hartman also created Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom and is the only creator in Nickelodeon's history who has had three hit animated shows on the network.
Read more:Breaking News - Nickelodeon Greenlights Third Season of Newest Animated Hit, "T.U.F.F. Puppy" | TheFutonCritic.comhttp://thefutoncritic.com/news/2011/07/29/nickelodeon-greenlights-third-season-of-newest-animated-hit-tuff-puppy-603013/20110729nickelodeon02/#ixzz1TWTT7p2v
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A huge "thanks" to everyone who watched!
Nickelodeon’s The Fairly OddParents scored a top-ranking 5.8 million total viewers this week with the premiere of A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! (Saturday, July 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT). The telecast, basic cable’s top show this week, also ranks as the number-one original TV movie on basic cable with kids and total viewers this year.As a result, Nick has decided to air ALL UN-AIRED EPISODES OF FOP in the coming weeks.
Set your DVR's!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I Blame Dinkleberg!
For those of you who haven't seen it yet, the I Blame Dinkleberg page on tumblr is a hilarious way to kill a lunch hour. Enjoy:
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Invasion of the Dads
Rank Program Network Day Time Viewers (000)
1 PAWN STARS HIST Mon 10:30P-11:00P 7,488
2 PAWN STARS HIST Mon 10:00P-10:30P 7,287
3 FALLING SKIES TNT Sun 09:00P-10:56P 5,905
4 AMERICAN PICKERS HIST Mon 09:00P-10:00P 5,650
5 WWE RAW USA Mon 10:00P-11:06P 4,961
6 SPRINT CUP RACNG/MICHIGAN TNT Sun 12:59P-03:58P 4,890
7 WWE RAW USA Mon 09:00P-10:00P 4,702
8 SWAMP PEOPLE HIST Thu 09:00P-10:00P 4,572
9 A.N.T. FARM DSNY Fri 08:30P-09:00P 4,334
10 NASCAR POST RACE SHOW TNT Sun 03:58P-04:08P 4,232
11 GOOD LUCK CHARLIE DSNY Sun 08:00P-08:30P 4,133
12 SHAKE IT UP DSNY Fri 09:00P-09:30P 4,113
13 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE DSNY Fri 08:00P-08:30P 4,048
14 SPONGEBOB NICK Sat 11:00A-11:30A 3,957
15 SPONGEBOB NICK Tue 11:30A-12:00P 3,951
16 COVERT AFFARIS USA Tue 10:00P-11:00P 3,919
17 SO RANDOM DSNY Sun 08:30P-09:00P 3,879
18 SPONGEBOB NICK Sat 11:30A-12:00P 3,834
19 WWE RAW USA Mon 08:00P-09:00P 3,831
20 ICARLY: IPARTY W/VICTORIO NICK Mon 04:00P-05:30P 3,767
21 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS NICK Sat 10:30A-11:00A 3,752
22 SPONGEBOB NICK Tue 11:00A-11:30A 3,728
23 FAMILY GUY ADSM Wed 11:30P-12:00A 3,716
24 WHITE COLLAR USA Tue 09:00P-10:00P 3,714
25 PRETTY LITTLE LIARS FAM Tue 08:00P-09:00P 3,678
2 PAWN STARS HIST Mon 10:00P-10:30P 7,287
3 FALLING SKIES TNT Sun 09:00P-10:56P 5,905
4 AMERICAN PICKERS HIST Mon 09:00P-10:00P 5,650
5 WWE RAW USA Mon 10:00P-11:06P 4,961
6 SPRINT CUP RACNG/MICHIGAN TNT Sun 12:59P-03:58P 4,890
7 WWE RAW USA Mon 09:00P-10:00P 4,702
8 SWAMP PEOPLE HIST Thu 09:00P-10:00P 4,572
9 A.N.T. FARM DSNY Fri 08:30P-09:00P 4,334
10 NASCAR POST RACE SHOW TNT Sun 03:58P-04:08P 4,232
11 GOOD LUCK CHARLIE DSNY Sun 08:00P-08:30P 4,133
12 SHAKE IT UP DSNY Fri 09:00P-09:30P 4,113
13 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE DSNY Fri 08:00P-08:30P 4,048
14 SPONGEBOB NICK Sat 11:00A-11:30A 3,957
15 SPONGEBOB NICK Tue 11:30A-12:00P 3,951
16 COVERT AFFARIS USA Tue 10:00P-11:00P 3,919
17 SO RANDOM DSNY Sun 08:30P-09:00P 3,879
18 SPONGEBOB NICK Sat 11:30A-12:00P 3,834
19 WWE RAW USA Mon 08:00P-09:00P 3,831
20 ICARLY: IPARTY W/VICTORIO NICK Mon 04:00P-05:30P 3,767
21 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS NICK Sat 10:30A-11:00A 3,752
22 SPONGEBOB NICK Tue 11:00A-11:30A 3,728
23 FAMILY GUY ADSM Wed 11:30P-12:00A 3,716
24 WHITE COLLAR USA Tue 09:00P-10:00P 3,714
25 PRETTY LITTLE LIARS FAM Tue 08:00P-09:00P 3,678
Monday, June 6, 2011
FOP Live Action
An air date has finally been announced for the FOP live action special: Saturday July 9th!
Check out the preview on youtube:
Check out the preview on youtube:
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
By Request
Here's a little sneak peak at the upcoming FOP special! It has it all!
Love!
Danger!!
Solid financial advice!!
No air date yet, but keep your eyes peeled. Oh, and there will be 3 more specials after this one :)
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sneak Peek
I just finished my board for the X-mas Special, and I thought I'd give you a (spoiler free) preview.
Trouble at the North Pole:
Christmas in prison :
Santa's last stop:
I gave a little extra love to the bg layouts because of a book my friend Tod Polson is working on. I can't give too much away, but if you have love for golden age animation BG's and layouts, 2012 is going to be a VERY good year!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Dream show
Here's a little peek at a show I had in development a while ago.
The chances of getting a show on the air are slim, so I just tried to have fun. That's why I made the mini bible look like a little golden book. It was fun! I even printed it up the same size, mounted the cover on card stock and staple bound it. Just like a real Golden Book.
I based the main characters and the villain on my three favorite people in the whole world - which made it easy to write, and fun to make up stories for.
The project didn't move forward, but I wanted to show a little of my own work, and the kind of thing I'd make given the chance. I hope you like it
Monday, April 25, 2011
More Great Ratings
#16 in the Cable top 20... With a rerun!
Hey, I just got an idea for an episode: Dudley opens a pawn shop/ NBA franchise/beverage themed girl band wrestling team that picks through the junk of hoarders! What do you think?
| Rank | Network | Program | Day | Viewers (millions) |
| 1 | HIST | Pawn Stars | Mon | 6.45 |
| 2 | HIST | Pawn Stars | Mon | 6.15 |
| 3 | TNT | NBA | Sun | 6.00 |
| 4 | DSNY | Lemonade Mouth | Fri | 5.70 |
| 5 | USA | WWE Raw | Mon | 5.55 |
| 6 | USA | WWE Raw | Mon | 5.35 |
| 7 | HIST | American Pickers | Mon | 5.15 |
| 8 | TNT | NBA | Sun | 5.05 |
| 9 | NICK | SpongeBob | Sat | 4.85 |
| 10 | NICK | SpongeBob | Sat | 4.65 |
| 11 | DSNY | Lemonade Mouth | Sun | 4.55 |
| 12 | DISC | The Deadliest Catch | Tue | 4.35 |
| 13 | NICK | SpongeBob | Sat | 4.25 |
| 14 | NICK | iCarly | Mon | 4.00 |
| 15 | NICK | Victorious | Sat | 3.95 |
| 16 | NICK | T.U.F.F. Puppy | Sat | 3.95 |
| 17 | NICK | SpongeBob | Sun | 3.80 |
| 18 | HIST | Swamp People | Thu | 3.80 |
| 19 | A&E | Storage Wars | Sun | 3.80 |
| 20 | NICK | SpongeBob | Wed | 3.70 |
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