Michael Peraza
{{Infobox artist
| name = Michael Peraza
| image =
| birth_name = Michael Arthur Peraza Jr.
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|11|15}}
| birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
| education = California Institute of the Arts
| known_for = Animation & fine art
| notable_works = The Little Mermaid,{{cite book |last1=Nash |first1=Jay Robert |title=The Motion Picture Guide 1990 Annual: The Films of 1989 |date=2008 |publisher=Cinebooks, 1990 |isbn=9780933997295 |page=417 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6IkqAAAAYAAJ&q=The+Motion+Picture+Guide+1990+Annual+peraza |access-date=23 January 2019}} Goof Troop, DuckTales, Anastasia
| spouse = Patty Peraza
| awards = Friz Freleng Lifetime Achievement Award, Disneyana Fan Club Legend Award, 2018
| website = {{URL|http://michaelperaza.blogspot.com}}
}}
Michael Arthur Peraza Jr. (born November 15, 1955) is a Cuban-American animator, art director, conceptual artist and historian of animation, who has worked for The Walt Disney Company, Fox Feature Animation, and Warner Bros. As a Disney Master Artist,{{cite web |title=Mike and Patty Peraza |url=https://www.sacanime.com/?page_id=13170 |website=SacAnime |access-date=23 January 2019}} he speaks at special events as a panelist with his wife and fellow Disney Master Artist, Patty Peraza,{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Eric |title=Animation Spotlight: Patty Peraza |url=https://www.milleranimation.com/blog-posts/animation-spotlight-patty-peraza |website=Miller Animation |date=2 February 2018 |access-date=23 January 2019}} about experiences in the entertainment field. He received the Friz Freleng Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Family Film Festival in 2014,{{cite web |last1=Milligan |first1=Mercedes |title=Mike Peraza to Receive Friz Freleng Award |url=http://www.animationmagazine.net/people/mike-peraza-to-receive-friz-freleng-award/ |website=Animation Magazine |access-date=23 January 2019 |date=4 November 2014}} and the Disneyana Fan Club Legend Award in 2018.{{cite web |last1=Tuttle |first1=Brittani |title=Disneyana Fan Club to host two special events at Disneyland Hotel on Oct. 6 |url=https://attractionsmagazine.com/disneyana-october-events-2018/ |website=Attractions Magazine |access-date=23 January 2019 |date=24 August 2018}} Currently, he continues his work with Warner Bros and Disney Television Animation.
Early life
Peraza was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He became interested in Disney animation after watching Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. As a young man, he experimented with various types of mediums and styles, getting the attention of local filmmakers. His first job was working for Max Goodman in local television station WKRG, where he learned how to work behind the camera, animated special effects and use paper cutouts for characters to create station breaks.{{cite book |last1=Bouchard |first1=Kimberley |title=Positively Disney: More Heartwarming Stories about Disney's Impact on People's Lives |date=2017 |publisher=Kimberly Bouchard |isbn=9780692892350 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ecGTtAEACAAJ&q=positively%20disney |access-date=23 January 2019}} After graduating high school, he continued his education at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), an art college that was established by Walt Disney.
Peraza was accepted at CalArts in 1973 before Disney had begun their Character Animation program. He later became one of the first people to join the program once it was started.{{cite book |last1=Preston |first1=Greg |title=The Artist Within: Book 2 |date=2017 |publisher=Sampsel Preston Photography |isbn=9780692917565 |page=188}} His peers include the animators Tim Burton, John Lasseter and John Musker.{{cite book |last1=Bancroft |first1=Tony |title=Directing for animation : everything you didn't learn in art school |date=2013 |publisher=Focal Press |location=UK |isbn=978-0-240-81802-3 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PbUhAQAAQBAJ&q=mike+peraza&pg=PA24 |access-date=23 January 2019}} Once an established student at CalArts, he studied under the guidance of Disney Legends including Jack Hannah (the Dean of the Disney program) and Ken O’Conner. As a teacher's assistant (TA), Peraza was given a full scholarship offered by the Disney Family, making it possible for him to continue his study.
Animation
Directly after CalArts, Peraza accepted a full-time career in Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he worked alongside Disney's Nine Old Men, including Marc Davis, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, John Lounsbery, Wolfgang Reitherman and Frank Thomas. While working for Disney Features, he became known for his advanced integration of computer animation.{{cite book |last1=Sito |first1=Tom |title=Moving innovation : a history of computer animation |date=2013 |publisher=MIT Press |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=978-0-262-01909-5 |pages=217–238 |url=https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Mike+Peraza%22 |access-date=23 January 2019}} and designing multiplane shots for The Fox and the Hound. Afterward, he went on to contribute to animated Disney films,{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |title=The Animated Movie Guide |date=2005 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=9781569762226 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/animatedmoviegui0000beck/page/21 21], 87, 99 and 286 |url=https://archive.org/details/animatedmoviegui0000beck|url-access=registration |quote=peraza. }} including The Little Mermaid,{{cite book |last1=Monaco |first1=James |title=The Movie Guide: a Comprehensive Alphabetical Listing of the Most Important Films Ever Made |date=1992 |publisher=Perigee Books |isbn=0-399-51780-4 |page=480 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s7MUAQAAIAAJ&q=peraza |access-date=23 January 2019}} The Great Mouse Detective,{{cite book |last1=Mattias |first1=Boström |title=From Holmes to Sherlock: the Story of the Men and Women Who Created an Icon |date=2017 |publisher=Grove Press |location=Chapters 89-90 |isbn=9780802189165 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HQzADQAAQBAJ&q=mike+peraza&pg=PT649 |access-date=23 January 2019}} Beauty and the Beast, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Aladdin and Who Framed Roger Rabbit as well as visual development for live-action movies such as Watcher in the Woods, Tron and Return to Oz. When approached by Ken Anderson, Peraza helped start the new Disney Television Animation unit. There he started the CGI animation department while developing Disney afternoon shows, including DuckTales, Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin, as well as creating the character Max Goof, and the series Goof Troop, which were adapted for the animated films A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie. During the pre-production of DuckTales, Carl Barks called Peraza "the Fourth Duckman." After transferring to Disney Direct to Video, Peraza worked as art director and conceptual artist for the production of sequels, including Jungle Book 2, Tarzan 2 and Return to Never Land.
Peraza has also worked on projects for Miramax,{{cite book |last1=Willis |first1=John |title=Screen World 1994 |date=1995 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation, 2000 |isbn=9781557832016 |page=199 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z8yFlYq1h7IC&q=peraza |access-date=23 January 2019}} Fox Features and Don Bluth Entertainment, where he worked as art director for Anastasia.{{cite news |last1=Holden |first1=Stephen |title=Film Review: A Feeling We're Not in Russia Anymore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/14/movies/film-review-a-feeling-we-re-not-in-russia-anymore.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=January 23, 2018 |language=en|date=1997-11-14 }} The movie about the Russian princess was praised for the execution of advanced computer graphics of the time.{{cite journal |last1=Crane |first1=David R. |title=Mike Peraza: The Visualizer |journal=New Tekniques |date=4 April 1998 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=18–20 |url=https://computerarchive.org/files/computer/magazines/newtekniques/NewTekniques_Issue_06_1998_Apr_May.pdf |access-date=23 January 2019}} During its premiere, Disney re-released The Little Mermaid in theaters, making Peraza one of few art directors who had two films out in theaters at the same time.{{cite web |author=Variety Staff |title=The Little Mermaid |url=https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/the-little-mermaid-1200427784/ |website=Variety |access-date=23 January 2019|date=January 1989 }}{{cite web |last1=Wahlgren |first1=Eric |title=IT'S A DRAW; ANIMATOR HAS TWO FAVORITES IN THEATERS. - Free Online Library |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/IT%27S+A+DRAW%3B+ANIMATOR+HAS+TWO+FAVORITES+IN+THEATERS.-a083893222 |website=www.thefreelibrary.com |publisher=Daily News |access-date=23 January 2019}}
Awards and recognition
- Friz Freleng Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014{{cite web |last1=Wolfe |first1=Jennifer |title=Mike Peraza to Receive Friz Freleng Lifetime Achievement Award |url=https://www.awn.com/news/mike-peraza-receive-friz-freleng-lifetime-achievement-award |website=Animation World Network |publisher=Buena Vista Home Entertainment |access-date=23 January 2019 |language=en}}
- Disneyana Fan Club Legend Award, 2018
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://mikeperaza.com/}}
- [http://michaelperaza.blogspot.com Official blog]
- {{imdb name|0672791}}
- {{YouTube|id=6s8pHjo_EOo|title=Little Mermaid art director and Disney concept artist Mike Peraza Interview}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peraza, Michael}}
Category:American art directors
Category:American people of Cuban descent
Category:American illustrators
Category:Animators from California
Category:California Institute of the Arts alumni
Category:People in the computer animation industry
Category:People from Burbank, California