21ª Summit, Conference and International Film
Festival of Animation, Visual Effects and Video Games
Animayo G.C. 2025
Trailer Animayo Gran Canaria 2026
Tony Bancroft, icon of Disney animation, arrives in Spain for the first time with 21st Animayo Gran Canaria • 24-04-2026The 21st edition of Animayo Gran Canaria -La Isla de Mi Vida- proudly announces the participation of director, producer and animator Tony Bancroft (Tennessee, USA), Academy Award-nominated co-director of “Mulan”, who will attend a festival in Spain for the very first time.
During his stay at the Gran Canaria Festival, Bancroft will lead an in-person workshop on visual storytelling and deliver a master class focused on animation. He will also offer exclusive insights into the craft during the presentation of “The Piano”, directed by Avery Kroll, for which he serves as executive producer.
Trained at one of the most prestigious institutions in the field of animation, the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Bancroft is considered one of the key figures behind the Renaissance of Walt Disney Feature Animation in the 1990s. His role in the development of animation and visual style of emblematic titles of the time is widely recognized and awarded.
In addition to being the award-winning co-director of “Mulan”, alongside Barry Cook, as animation supervisor and animator he is the creator of iconic characters such as Pumbaa from “The Lion King”, Iago from “Aladdin”, Cogsworth from “Beauty and the Beast”, the Gargoyles from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” or Kronk from “The Emperor’s New Groove”, among others. His extensive filmography also includes titles such as Mary Poppins Returns (Walt Disney Pictures), Disenchanted, The Rescuers Down Under, The Prince and the Pauper, and Disney’s 2023 centenary short Once Upon a Studio.
His experience extends beyond his twelve years at Disney. He was executive producer of the Oscar®-nominated “Mosley” (Huhu Studios/China Film Animation). He was also animation supervisor on “Stuart Little 2”, from Sony Pictures Imageworks, and 2D animator and lead animator on “Space Jam: A New Legacy”, from Warner Bros. Pictures, collaborating on the movement design and performance of characters such as Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian. He has also left his mark on animated television series such as “Larryboy: The Cartoon Adventures” in a series of 2D animated videos he directed and co-created for Big Idea Productions, or “Lilo & Stitch: The Series”, in this case for Disney’s television division and broadcast on Disney Channel.
With an established career linked to visual creation, direction and storytelling, Tony Bancroft is co-founder of The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast, together with his brother Tom Bancroft, as well as co-founder of the studio Toonacious Family Entertainment, focused on the production of family content.
Bancroft is also co-founder of Animation Y’all! Expo, the first professional animation exhibition in the southern United States, and is also the author of the book “Directing for Animation”, where he shares his experience with new generations. In his role as a teaching artist, he carries out intense activity as an international professor and speaker, giving workshops and master classes on character design, directing and visual storytelling. He is currently the director of the undergraduate and master’s programs in Animation at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Details of Tony Bancroft’s activities at Animayo Gran Canaria 2026
With the sponsorship of U-Tad Centro Universitario de Tecnología y Arte Digital (Madrid), the 2D animator passionate about animation, directing, storytelling, creation and teaching future generations, will have full participation in the 21st edition of the Festival whose in-person phase will be held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria, Spain) from May 6 to 9, both dates inclusive.
On Wednesday the 6th at 18:00 he will present the short film “The Piano”, by Avery Kroll, for which he is executive producer. With free admission until full capacity is reached, this special screening will take place during the ‘Live Guest Stars Presentation Gala’ at the Espacio CICCA.
On Friday the 8th (16:30 to 20:30) he will give the workshop "Visual Storytelling: Think Like an Artist, Tell Like a Director". And on Saturday the 9th (18:30 to 20:00), it will be the turn of his master class “Animation with a Legacy: Mulan, The Lion King, Aladdin and Other Unforgettable Films”. At the end of each activity there will be an autograph signing in the same locations. Tickets for both activities are already available through the Animayo website, where more information, requirements and content can also be found.
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