Bill Kroyer
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William Kroyer is an American director of animation and computer graphics commercials, short films, movie titles, and theatrical films. He and Jerry Rees were the main animators for the CGI sequences in '' Tron''. He is currently the head of the Digital Arts department at Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at
Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Sci ...
.


Career

Kroyer began his animation career in 1975 by working in a small commercial studio. In 1977, he finally ended up at Disney Studios as animator on ''
The Fox and the Hound ''The Fox and the Hound'' is a 1981 American animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. The 24th Disney animated feature film, the film tells the st ...
'' but left Disney later because he did not want to work on '' The Black Cauldron''. It was then he met future ''Tron'' director
Steven Lisberger Steven M. Lisberger (born April 24, 1951) is an American film director, producer and writer famous for directing ''Tron'' in 1982. Early life and education Lisberger was born in 1951 in New York City and grew up in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Of ...
, who was working on ''
Animalympics ''Animalympics'' is a 1980 animated television film directed by Steven Lisberger and produced by Lisberger Studios for the NBC network. Originally commissioned as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and features t ...
''. After ''Animalympics'' was completed, Lisberger developed ''Tron'' and sold it to Disney. After ''Tron'' was finished, Kroyer decided to stay with computer animation instead of traditional animation and worked at
Robert Abel and Associates Robert Abel and Associates (RA&A) was an American pioneering production company specializing in television commercials made with computer graphics. Robert Abel's company, RA&A was especially known for their art direction and won many Clio Awards. ...
and Digital Productions. In 1986, he and his wife, Sue, started Kroyer Films to combine computer animation with hand-drawn animation. They made a short film titled '' Technological Threat''; it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1988 and preserved by the
Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...
in 2008. After ''Technological Threat'' was finished, Kroyer decided to stay with computer animation films for such as '' Jetsons: The Movie'' and '' Rugrats in Paris: The Movie''. He directed '' Computer Warriors: The Adventure Begins'' in 1990 and then '' FernGully: The Last Rainforest'' in 1992. He was originally set to direct ''
Quest for Camelot ''Quest for Camelot'' (released internationally as ''The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot'') is a 1998 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Frederik Du Chau and very loosely based on t ...
'' but left the project over creative differences. Soon after he joined Rhythm and Hues Studios as Senior Animation Director and supervised the CGI animation for films such as ''
Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...
'', '' Scooby Doo'', '' Cats & Dogs'' and '' The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas''. In early 2009 he began teaching at
Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Sci ...
's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in
Orange, California Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many oth ...
.Wolff, Ellen (March 2011). "Bill Kroyer's Academic Adventure". ''
Animation Magazine ''Animation Magazine'' is an American print magazine and website covering the animation industry and education, as well as visual effects. The print magazine is published 10 times a year in the United States. History and profile ''Animation Maga ...
''. pp. 33-35
In 2017 he and his wife Susan became the first couple to receive the
June Foray Award The June Foray Award is a juried award given to individuals in recognition of a significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation. The award is given by the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood ...
from the international Animation Society for their "contributions to the art and industry of animation."


Filmography

*'' Rugrats in Paris: The Movie'' (CG animation director: Rhythm & Hues) *'' The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas'' (CG animation director: Rhythm & Hues) *'' The Green Mile'' (animation supervisor: Rhythm & Hues) *'' FernGully: The Last Rainforest'' (director) *'' Computer Warriors: The Adventure Begins'' (writer, director) *'' Jetsons: The Movie'' (computer animator: vehicle animation) *'' Technological Threat'' (writer, director, producer, computer animation) *'' Starchaser: The Legend of Orin'' (computer animation planner, key animator) *'' Tron'' (production storyboards, computer image choreography) *''
Animalympics ''Animalympics'' is a 1980 animated television film directed by Steven Lisberger and produced by Lisberger Studios for the NBC network. Originally commissioned as two separate specials, it spoofs the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and features t ...
'' (animation director, animator)


See also

*
Kroyer Films Kroyer Films, Inc. was a pioneering animation studio formed in 1986 by animator Bill Kroyer and his wife Susan Kroyer and is one of the earliest studios to combine computer and hand-drawn animation. Productions Kroyer Films produced the Oscar-n ...
*
Rhythm & Hues Rhythm & Hues Studios was an American visual effects and animation company, that received the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1995 for ''Babe (film), Babe'', in 2008 for ''The Golden Compass (film), The Golden Compass'', and in 2013 for ...
*
Robert Abel and Associates Robert Abel and Associates (RA&A) was an American pioneering production company specializing in television commercials made with computer graphics. Robert Abel's company, RA&A was especially known for their art direction and won many Clio Awards. ...
* Digital Productions *
Silicon Graphics Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...
*
Wavefront Technologies Wavefront Technologies was a computer graphics company that developed and sold animation software used in Hollywood motion pictures and other industries. It was founded in 1984, in Santa Barbara, California, by Bill Kovacs, Larry Barels, Mark Sy ...
* Alias Research * Symbolics Graphics Division *
Apple Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software ...
*
Softimage 3D Softimage, 3D was a high-end 3D graphics application developed by Softimage, Co., which was used predominantly in the film, broadcasting, gaming, and advertising industries for the production of 3D animation. It was superseded by Softimage XSI ...
*Cinetron Computer Systems * CSRG, UC Berkeley


References


External links

*
''Creating the Memories'' by William Kroyer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroyer, Bill 20th-century births Living people American animators American animated film directors Year of birth missing (living people)