Tony and his twin brother Tom both have a profound love for Chinese culture. They conducted years of research to create the movie that respected and honored Chinese culture. Tom, the creator of Mushu, the Chinese dragon that guarded Mulan in the film, is fastidious on details.
"When I was creating many different character design versions of Mushu, I was referencing many things from Chinese culture. I looked at ancient wood block print artworks and sculptures of dragons at temples in China. I noticed that Chinese dragons are very different from European dragons from mythology. The Chinese dragons were thin and snake-like while the European dragons were often thick and more like a crocodile. Mushu is made up of many animals-he has whiskers like a catfish, scales like a fish, cow ears, the hairy lip of a camel, horns like a goat and talons of an eagle. All these things are subtly and stylistically included in the design," Tom says.
Tony was accepted into the exclusive California Institute of the Arts in 1987, where he thrived artistically and developed a lifelong passion for animation. There, his work caught the attention of Disney Studios. In 1989, he got a position in the animation department. During his 12-year career with Disney Studios, the household names of animated characters he created accompanied a generation growing up. The release of Mulan in 1998 garnered over $300 million at the global box office. It was also Mulan that earned Bancroft that year the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing, the highest honor in the animation industry.
