Mark Dindal Biography
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)