Victor A. Cook (born c. 1960/1961) is an American film and television producer and director best known for his work on the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009), Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010–2013) and Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (2017–2018),[2][3] and as an executive producer of Disney Junior's T.O.T.S.[4]
Victor Cook | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1960s |
| Education | CSULB |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Known for | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editCook was born in the early 1960s,[4] one of five children on the Johnson Air Force Base in Saitama, Japan[1] His parents met in an Air Force cafeteria while his father was enlisted.[1] He is half-Korean through his mother.[5] After leaving Saitama, the family lived in San Antonio, Texas; Florida; Fort Worth, Texas; Euless, Texas; Okinawa, Japan (at Kadena Air Base); and Atwater, California.[1] After high school, he briefly attended a junior college in Central California before transferring to California State University, Long Beach.[1][4]
As a child and into college, his goal was to be a print cartoonist, but was dissuaded after reading about Jack Kirby's career.[4] While at the junior college, a life drawing teacher gave him the contact information for a former student who went on to work for Hanna-Barbera.[4] He only called once he was already into his career.[4] The student suggested taking an animation class at The Animation Guild.[4]
Career
editAfter graduating college, Cook worked as a graphic artist and political cartoonist for Costa Mesa's Daily Pilot then as an assistant animator at Filmation.[1] At Filmation, he found himself drawn to storyboards because they reminded him of comic cels.[4] He worked on BraveStarr during the day and took storyboard classes at night until Filmation folded.[4] He was able to find a job working on ALF Tales and ALF: The Animated Series.[4] This experience helped him eventually land at Disney Television Animation, where he worked for 16 years.[1][4] After leaving Disney, he worked with Greg Weisman to create The Spectacular Spider-Man; worked on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated; and started at Hasbro, where he helped develop Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters alongside writer Kevin Burke and producer Chris "Doc" Wyatt.[4] In the late 2010s, he was hired onto T.O.T.S. by Disney Junior.[4]
He is the creator of the Mecha-Nation comic books.[1] It is the first comic book he's worked on.[1]
The Spectacular Spider-Man
editI wanted to make sure that this was an iconic Spider-man for the different generations of fans, but I also wanted to bring in a new generation of fans that had a passing interest in it. I also really wanted this to be a two dimensional Spider-man that moved like we've never really seen him move in animation before. I thought Sam Raimi set the bar of how he should move and I haven't seen that in animation.
—Cook on the animation style he chose for The Spectacular Spider-Man[6]
Cook was called by Sony Entertainment to develop a DVD project about Spider-Man. Cook developed it with Greg Weisman; they wanted to base it on the early comic book publications of the character that showed him younger, which Cook had never seen done before in any adaption. The idea was reformatted to an animated television series, but maintained a similar chronicle style where, as Cook describes, "each episode stands alone as its own story, but like the comic book itself it's a saga. Then each three episodes is a story and those three episodes are what would be on the DVD releases."[6] The original title for the series was The Amazing Spider-Man, based on the comic series of the same name, but by mid-2007 the name was changed to The Spectacular Spider-Man.[7][8]
Cook wanted the animation to be squash and stretch style, and the action to be as good as the first two live action movies Sam Raimi directed as they had "set the bar" for the fluid movement for Spider-Man.[6][9] As they were on a specific budget, they wanted to allow the animation to "move" more than anything, giving it simple and stylistic designs.[10] He also looked back on Blood and Iron which had a "fresh, young, look to it" that appealed to him visually. Cook wanted to make an "iconic" Spider-Man for both new and older generations and "really wanted this to be a two dimensional Spider-man that moved like we've never really seen him move in animation before."[6] The Spectacular Spider-Man became very successful in its first season on Kids WB! and entered its second season in the US in 2009 on Disney XD.[11]
Personal life
editHe and his wife Sonia, who is also half-Korean, have been married since the late 1980s.[1][12] They have two children: Hanah and Jackson.[citation needed] His daughter is an animation writer.[13] and, according to Victor's friend and colleague Greg Weisman, served as the inspiration for Artemis Crock in Young Justice.[12]
As an animator, Cook admires Charles M. Schulz, Jack Kirby and Hayao Miyazaki, and was a Hanna-Barbera fan growing up.[4][1]
Filmography
editTelevision
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | Ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Art | Writer | ||||
| 1987—1988 | BraveStarr | No | No | Yes | No | [4] | |
| 1988 | ALF Tales | No | No | Yes | No | [4] | |
| 1988—1989 | ALF: The Animated Series | No | No | Yes | No | [4] | |
| 1989 | The Smurfs | No | No | Yes | No | [14] | |
| The Karate Kid | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | ||
| Garfield and Friends | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | ||
| Denver, the Last Dinosaur | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | ||
| 1990 | TaleSpin | No | No | Yes | No | Episode "Time Waits for No Bear" | [4] |
| 1991 | Widget | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | |
| 1992 | The Little Mermaid | No | No | Yes | No | Episode "Urchin" | [citation needed] |
| Raw Toonage | No | No | Yes | No | Episodes "Bonkers in Space/Cro-Magnum PI/The Treasure of the Sierra Marsdre" and "Sheerluck Bonkers/All Potato Network/The Puck Stops Here" | [citation needed] | |
| 1991—1992 | Darkwing Duck | No | No | Yes | Yes | Wrote "Kung Fooled" | [4][5] |
| Mr. Bogus | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | ||
| 1993 | Bonkers | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | |
| 1994 | Aladdin | No | No | Yes | No | [4][5] | |
| 1995 | Rocko's Modern Life | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | |
| 1995—1996 | Gargoyles | No | No | Yes | No | [4][5] | |
| 1996 | Quack Pack | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | |
| Jungle Cubs | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | ||
| 1997—1998 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | Yes | Yes | No | No | [4][5] | |
| 2000 | Buzz Lightyear of Star Command | Yes | No | No | No | [4][5] | |
| 2001—2002 | The Legend of Tarzan | Yes | No | No | No | [5] | |
| 2002—2004 | Fillmore! | No | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | |
| 2005 | American Dragon: Jake Long | No | No | Yes | No | [15] | |
| 2003—2006 | Lilo & Stitch: The Series | Yes | Yes | No | No | [4][5] | |
| 2007 | Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt | Yes | No | Yes | No | [citation needed] | |
| 2006—2008 | Mickey Mouse Clubhouse | Yes | No | No | No | [1][4] | |
| 2008 | The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard | Yes | Yes | No | No | [1] | |
| 2008—2009 | The Spectacular Spider-Man | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | [1][16] | |
| 2012 | Young Justice | Yes | No | No | No | Episode "Coldhearted" | [17] |
| 2010—2013 | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Yes | Yes | No | No | [1][4] | |
| 2017—2018 | Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also wrote the main title lyrics | [4][18] |
| 2019—2021 | T.O.T.S. | No | Yes | No | No | [19] | |
Film
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | Ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Art | Writer | ||||
| 1993 | The Return of Jafar | No | No | Yes | No | Direct-to-video | [5] |
| 1996 | Aladdin and the King of Thieves | No | No | Yes | No | Direct-to-video | [20] |
| 2001 | Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure | No | No | Yes | No | Direct-to-video | [citation needed] |
| 2002 | 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure | No | No | Yes | No | Direct-to-video | |
| Tarzan & Jane | Yes | No | No | No | Segments "Volcanic Diamond Mine" and "Flying Ace" | [21] | |
| 2003 | Atlantis: Milo's Return | Yes | No | No | No | [22] | |
| 21 Grams | No | No | Yes | No | [23] | ||
| 2007 | Hellboy: Blood and Iron | Yes | No | No | No | TV movie | [24] |
| Hellboy: Iron Shoes | Yes | No | No | No | Bonus short for Hellboy: Blood and Iron | [24] | |
| My Blueberry Nights | No | No | Yes | No | [25] | ||
| 2010 | Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic | Yes | No | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [1] |
| 2012 | Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens | Yes | Yes | No | No | TV movie | [1] |
| Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays | Yes | Yes | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [4][26] | |
| Scooby-Doo! Spooky Games | No | Yes | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [26] | |
| 2013 | Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright | Yes | Yes | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [27] |
| Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow | No | Yes | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [26] | |
| Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace | No | Yes | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [4] | |
| Stoker | No | No | Yes | No | [28] | ||
| Robosapien: Rebooted | No | No | Yes | No | [29] | ||
| 2014 | Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals | Yes | No | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [30] |
| 2015 | Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie | Yes | No | No | No | Direct-to-DVD | [4] |
| 2019 | Mickey's Treat | Yes | No | No | No | TV movie | [31] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Interview with Victor Cook". HalfKorean.com. October 27, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2008-02-23). "WC 08: The Spectacular Spider-Man Premieres". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ "Spider-Chat: Spectacular Spider-Man Producer/Director Victor Cook". Marvel.com. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "Interview Transcript – Episode 15: Victor Cook". UnMasked Podcast. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Chik, Kalai (2019-06-20). "Diving into Disney's T.O.T.S. with Executive Producer Vic Cook". Asia Pacific Arts. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ a b c d Elliot, Sean (2008-04-04). "Symbiotically Bonding With 'Spectacular Spider-Man' Producer Victor Cook - Part 1". iF Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2007-03-01). "New Spider-Man Animated Series Coming in 2008!". IGN. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ IGN Staff (2007-07-18). "Spider-Man Will be Spectacular on TV". IGN. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ Elliot, Sean (2009-03-08). "The Inside Swing on 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' With Producer & Writer Greg Weisman - Part 1". iF Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2008-02-26). "The Spectacular Spider-Man: "Survival of the Fittest" Advance Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ^ Marcotte, John (2009-07-30). "Animated Spider-Man Is Simply Spectacular". Badmouth. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ a b "Victor Cook's Daughter Inspires Cartoon Character". HalfKorean.com. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ "Script Coordinators In Modern Disney Cartoons (Whether Or Not By Disney TVA)". Anime Superhero. 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ Trumbore, Dave (2018-02-02). "How 'Stretch Armstrong' Evolved from Novelty Toy to a Novel Superhero Series". Collider. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "2000s trend - Teen Hero action cartoons". Anime Superhero. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "INTERVIEWS". DC Animated. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Sims, Chris (2017-01-19). "'Young Justice' Episode Guide: Season 1, Episodes 19-20: 'Misplaced' / 'Coldhearted'".
- ^ Cummings, Justin (2019-02-03). "50 Years of Scooby: An Interview with Victor Cook". Overly Animated. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ Murphy, Jackson (2019-06-11). "INTERVIEW: Victor Cook on Disney Channel's "T.O.T.S."". Animation Scoop. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
- ^ "Aladdin and the King of Thieves". Filmoria. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ Ziggiotto, Simone (2016-12-24). "Disney Cinemagic: i tre film su Tarzan della Disney a Natale" (in Italian). Movie Tele. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "Sci-Fi". Film Freak Central. 2004-06-10. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "21 Grams". Turner Classic Movies. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b Trumbore, Dave (2019-04-02). "'Hellboy Animated' 4K Release Brings Back the Original Cast in a Fantastic Double Feature". Collider. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "Memphis & Shelby County Film/TV Commission Production Directory 2012-2013". issuu. Oz Publishing, Inc. 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ a b c Jeliel, Iann (2021-02-07). "CRÍTICA SCOOBY DOO: EPISÓDIOS ESPECIAIS – PARTE 2" (in Portuguese). Plano Critico. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "Unmasked History of Scooby Doo Episode 15: Victor Cook". The Unmasked History of Scooby-Doo! Podcast. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "Victor Cook". BFI. n.d. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "Robosapien: Cody, un robot con corazón" (in Spanish). Cineyseries. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "SCOOBY-DOO! GHASTLY GOALS". Library of Congress. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
- ^ "Mickey's Treat (2007)". Cine Magia. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
External links
edit- Victor Cook at IMDb
- 2009 interview with Post Magazine (US) about The Spectacular Spider-Man
- 2009 interview with IGN about The Spectacular Spider-Man
- 2010 interview with If Magazine about The Spectacular Spider-Man
- 2017 interview with IGN about Flex Fighters
- 2017 interview about Flex Fighters
- 2018 interview with Collider about Flex Fighters
- 2018 interview with Kneel Before Pod