I began drawing when I was old enough to hold a pencil. I grew up in Holland, playing soccer and drawing cartoons on rainy afternoons.
When I was eleven my family emigrated to America, settling in Cupertino, Northern California. Because I couldn't speak English, I relied on my drawing skills to get me by on more than one occasion.
I was enthralled with cartoons, and when I was thirteen my family and I visited the Disney Studio. They encouraged me to make my own animated films, so my parents bought me a Super-eight camera and I got to work. My high school years were spent making short cartoon films and playing soccer. I am indebted to my art teacher, who taught me that there is more to art than Mickey Mouse.
After high school I attended Cal Arts in Valencia, Southern California. I studied animation filmmaking, and learned that there was indeed a world of art out there. However, upon graduation in 1981 I went to work at the Disney Studio.
I got married in 1986. My wife, Jennifer, worked in magazine publishing. In 1991 we moved to London, where we lived and worked for two years.
Shortly after we returned to the U.S. our son, Julian, was born. Three years later our daughter, Meg, arrived. And we have just completed the adoption of Mary, our daughter from China.
Over the years I've worked on such films as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" at Disney, "Cats Don't Dance" at Warner Bros., and "The Road to El Dorado" at DreamWorks. I'm currently working on a new "Curious George" animated feature. As an animator I learned the value of storytelling. And as a parent I learned what interested my kids. Telling nightly bedtime stories gave me a wealth of ideas, which led me to write JIMMY DABBLE.
