MARK DINDAL
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Dindal became fascinated with animation after his grandmother
took him to see Disney's The Sword in the Stone. His father, who dabbled in art as a hobby,
taught Dindal how to draw while growing up in Syracuse, New York.
In 1978, Dindal went out west to attend the California Institute of the Arts where he
produced a student film on special effects animation. The project was so successful, it
caught the notice of Disney who quickly hired him to be an effects animation artist on
The Fox and the Hound. While working with Disney, Dindal would also work on such films
as The Black Cauldron, Mickey's Christmas Carol and The Great Mouse Detective.
Although he left Disney in 1985 to pursue a freelancing career and to work with various
television and commercial projects, he returned two years later to be the special effects
animator for Disney's Oliver & Company, and later the special effects supervisor for
The Little Mermaid.
Dindal started working in the area of story development which led to his first feature
as a director, Cats Don't Dance (1997). Although the project wasn't a commercial success,
it prepared him for his next project, The Emperor's New Groove (2000).
Filmography (director):
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Cats Don't Dance (1997)
Filmography (visual effects):
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Oliver & Company (1988)
The Black Cauldron (1985)