Phil Roman

Animator

"Every project has its own identity, its own look, its own feel. I never believed in doing things by formula. You design a project to look a certain way and characters move the way they're designed so every show has its own look. I never wanted a Hanna-Barbera or a Disney look, because all of the sudden, you're limited."

About This Interview

Phil Roman was interviewed for three hours in Los Angeles, CA. Roman reminisced about his early interest in art, and his studies in art school before and after World War II. He talked about his first professional job in animation, working for the Walt Disney Studios. He spoke about his subsequent jobs as an animator, working on projects including Calvin and the Colonel and the feature film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." Next, he described working for MGM's animation department under Chuck Jones, and his work on projects including Tom and Jerry cartoons, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas , and Horton Hears a Who . Mr. Roman talked about later animating George of the Jungle for Jay Ward. He spoke at length about his years working as an animator and later director for Bill Melendez Productions on dozens of Charlie Brown specials. Finally, he talked about opening his own company, Film Roman, to produce programs including the Garfield specials, The Simpsons, Bobby's World , and King of the Hill . He also gave a video tour of the Film Roman facilities and the people involved in the production of The Simpsons . The interview was conducted by Jennifer Howard on June 26, 2002.