Chris Battle
The Rise of Cartoons
R
ecently while watching Cartoon Network shows such as Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, and Samurai Jack, I was inspired by the arts and story. I decided to reach out to Emmy and Annie Award-nominated, animation character design artist - Chris Battle, who helped bring some of the most classic cartoon characters to life! Currently he’s working on projects for both Disney and Marvel. We sat down to talk about the creative process of his
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By Moses Dalton Photography by Amina Touray
designs and a 25+ year long - “What do we do to encourcareer in the world of imag- age him?” and they would reination. spond - “Let him keep drawing”, so they did! My parents Moses Dalton: Tell me all would also take me to wherabout your life ever there was an exhibit of animation or movie art. I Chris Battle: Well, unlike so was one of those Star Wars many people in Los Angeles, kids, so whenever there was I actually grew up out here: an exhibit with the art of Star I was born in Santa Moni- Wars or some Disney artists, ca. I had an artist mother we would go. And of course and a photographer father, here in Los Angeles, there are and they were always very tons of entertainment exhisupportive of my interest bitions, often with the people in the arts. As a kid (like any who worked on those movies. kid), I loved drawing, so they The whole six degrees of sephanded me papers, cray- aration is more like three deons, and pencils, and when grees of separation out here! they saw how much I loved it, It was not uncommon for me they would ask my teachers to visit Disney Animation Stu-
August 2019