Victor Cook
Born1960s
Saitama, Japan[1]
EducationCSULB
Occupations
Years active1987–present
Known for
Children2

Victor A. Cook (born c. 1960/1961) is an American film and television producer and director best known for his work on the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009), Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010–2013) and Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (2017–2018),[2][3] and as an executive producer of Disney Junior's T.O.T.S.[4]

Early life

Cook was born in the early 1960s,[4] one of five children on the Johnson Air Force Base in Saitama, Japan[1] His parents met in an Air Force cafeteria while his father was enlisted.[1] He is half-Korean through his mother.[5] After leaving Saitama, the family lived in San Antonio, Texas; Florida; Forth Worth, Texas; Euless, Texas; Okinawa, Japan (at Kadena Air Base); and Atwater, California.[1] After high school, he briefly attended a junior college in Central California before transferring to California State University, Long Beach.[1][4]

As a child and into college, his goal was to be a print cartoonist, but was dissuaded after reading about Jack Kirby's career.[4] While at the junior college, a life drawing teacher gave him the contact information for a former student who went on to work for Hanna-Barbera.[4] He only called once he was already into his career.[4] The student suggested taking an animation class at The Animation Guild.[4]

Career

After graduating college, Cook worked as a graphic artist and political cartoonist for Costa Mesa's Daily Pilot then as an assistant animator at Filmation.[1] At Filmation, he found himself drawn to storyboards because they reminded him of comic cels.[4] He worked on BraveStarr during the day and took storyboard classes at night until Filmation folded.[4] He was able to find a job working on ALF Tales and ALF: The Animated Series.[4] This experience helped him eventually land at Disney Television Animation, where he worked for 16 years.[1][4] After leaving Disney, he worked with Greg Weisman to create The Spectacular Spider-Man; worked on Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated; and started at Hasbro, where he helped develop Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters alongside writer Kevin Burke and producer Chris "Doc" Wyatt.[4] In the late 2010s, he was hired onto T.O.T.S. by Disney Junior.[4]

He is the creator of the Mecha-Nation comic books.[1] It is the first comic book he's worked on.[1]

The Spectacular Spider-Man

I wanted to make sure that this was an iconic Spider-man for the different generations of fans, but I also wanted to bring in a new generation of fans that had a passing interest in it. I also really wanted this to be a two dimensional Spider-man that moved like we've never really seen him move in animation before. I thought Sam Raimi set the bar of how he should move and I haven't seen that in animation.

—Cook on the animation style he chose for The Spectacular Spider-Man[6]

Cook was called by Sony Entertainment to develop a DVD project about Spider-Man. Cook developed it with Greg Weisman; they wanted to base it on the early comic book publications of the character that showed him younger, which Cook had never seen done before in any adaption. The idea was reformatted to an animated television series, but maintained a similar chronicle style where, as Cook describes, "each episode stands alone as its own story, but like the comic book itself it's a saga. Then each three episodes is a story and those three episodes are what would be on the DVD releases."[6] The original title for the series was The Amazing Spider-Man, based on the comic series of the same name, but by mid-2007 the name was changed to The Spectacular Spider-Man.[7][8]

Cook wanted the animation to be squash and stretch style, and the action to be as good as the first two live action movies Sam Raimi directed as they had "set the bar" for the fluid movement for Spider-Man.[6][9] As they were on a specific budget, they wanted to allow the animation to "move" more than anything, giving it simple and stylistic designs.[10] He also looked back on Blood and Iron which had a "fresh, young, look to it" that appealed to him visually. Cook wanted to make an "iconic" Spider-Man for both new and older generations and "really wanted this to be a two dimensional Spider-man that moved like we've never really seen him move in animation before."[6] The Spectacular Spider-Man became very successful in its first season on Kids WB! and entered its second season in the US in 2009 on Disney XD.[11]

Personal life

He and his wife Sonia, who is also half-Korean, have been married since the late 1980s.[1][12] They have two children: Hanah and Jackson.[citation needed] His daughter is an animation writer.[13] and, according to Victor's friend and colleague Greg Weisman, served as the inspiration for Artemis Crock in Young Justice.[12]

As an animator, Cook admires Charles M. Schulz, Jack Kirby and Hayao Miyazaki, and was a Hanna-Barbera fan growing up.[4][1]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Credited as Notes Ref(s)
Director Producer Art Writer
1987—1988 BraveStarr No No Yes No [4]
1988 ALF Tales No No Yes No [4]
1988—1989 ALF: The Animated Series No No Yes No [4]
1989 The Smurfs No No Yes No [14]
The Karate Kid No No Yes No [citation needed]
Garfield and Friends No No Yes No [citation needed]
Denver, the Last Dinosaur No No Yes No [citation needed]
1990 TaleSpin No No Yes No Episode "Time Waits for No Bear" [4]
1991 Widget No No Yes No [citation needed]
1992 The Little Mermaid No No Yes No Episode "Urchin" [citation needed]
Raw Toonage No No Yes No Episodes "Bonkers in Space/Cro-Magnum PI/The Treasure of the Sierra Marsdre" and "Sheerluck Bonkers/All Potato Network/The Puck Stops Here" [citation needed]
1991—1992 Darkwing Duck No No Yes Yes Wrote "Kung Fooled" [4][5]
Mr. Bogus No No Yes No [citation needed]
1993 Bonkers No No Yes No [citation needed]
1994 Aladdin No No Yes No [4][5]
1995 Rocko's Modern Life No No Yes No [citation needed]
1995—1996 Gargoyles No No Yes No [4][5]
1996 Quack Pack No No Yes No [citation needed]
Jungle Cubs No No Yes No [citation needed]
1997—1998 101 Dalmatians: The Series Yes Yes No No [4][5]
2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command Yes No No No [4][5]
2001—2002 The Legend of Tarzan Yes No No No [5]
2002—2004 Fillmore! No No Yes No [citation needed]
2005 American Dragon: Jake Long No No Yes No [15]
2003—2006 Lilo & Stitch: The Series Yes Yes No No [4][5]
2007 Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt Yes No Yes No [citation needed]
2006—2008 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Yes No No No [1][4]
2008 The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard Yes Yes No No [1]
2008—2009 The Spectacular Spider-Man Yes Yes No Yes [1][16]
2012 Young Justice Yes No No No Episode "Coldhearted" [17]
2010—2013 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Yes Yes No No [1][4]
2017—2018 Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters Yes Yes Yes Yes Also wrote the main title lyrics [4][18]
2019—2021 T.O.T.S. No Yes No No [19]

Film

Year Title Credited as Notes Ref(s)
Director Producer Art Writer
1993 The Return of Jafar No No Yes No Direct-to-video [5]
1996 Aladdin and the King of Thieves No No Yes No Direct-to-video [20]
2001 Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure No No Yes No Direct-to-video [citation needed]
2002 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure No No Yes No Direct-to-video
Tarzan & Jane Yes No No No Segments "Volcanic Diamond Mine" and "Flying Ace" [21]
2003 Atlantis: Milo's Return Yes No No No [22]
21 Grams No No Yes No [23]
2007 Hellboy: Blood and Iron Yes No No No TV movie [24]
Hellboy: Iron Shoes Yes No No No Bonus short for Hellboy: Blood and Iron [24]
My Blueberry Nights No No Yes No [25]
2010 Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic Yes No No No Direct-to-DVD [1]
2012 Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens Yes Yes No No TV movie [1]
Scooby-Doo! Haunted Holidays Yes Yes No No Direct-to-DVD [4][26]
Scooby-Doo! Spooky Games No Yes No No Direct-to-DVD [26]
2013 Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright Yes Yes No No Direct-to-DVD [27]
Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Scarecrow No Yes No No Direct-to-DVD [26]
Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace No Yes No No Direct-to-DVD [4]
Stoker No No Yes No [28]
Robosapien: Rebooted No No Yes No [29]
2014 Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals Yes No No No Direct-to-DVD [30]
2015 Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie Yes No No No Direct-to-DVD [4]
2019 Mickey's Treat Yes No No No TV movie [31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Interview with Victor Cook". HalfKorean.com. October 27, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  2. ^ Goldman, Eric (2008-02-23). "WC 08: The Spectacular Spider-Man Premieres". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  3. ^ "Spider-Chat: Spectacular Spider-Man Producer/Director Victor Cook". Marvel.com. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "Interview Transcript – Episode 15: Victor Cook". UnMasked Podcast. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Chik, Kalai (2019-06-20). "Diving into Disney's T.O.T.S. with Executive Producer Vic Cook". Asia Pacific Arts. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  6. ^ a b c d Elliot, Sean (2008-04-04). "Symbiotically Bonding With 'Spectacular Spider-Man' Producer Victor Cook - Part 1". iF Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
  7. ^ Goldman, Eric (2007-03-01). "New Spider-Man Animated Series Coming in 2008!". IGN. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  8. ^ IGN Staff (2007-07-18). "Spider-Man Will be Spectacular on TV". IGN. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  9. ^ Elliot, Sean (2009-03-08). "The Inside Swing on 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' With Producer & Writer Greg Weisman - Part 1". iF Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  10. ^ Goldman, Eric (2008-02-26). "The Spectacular Spider-Man: "Survival of the Fittest" Advance Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  11. ^ Marcotte, John (2009-07-30). "Animated Spider-Man Is Simply Spectacular". Badmouth. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  12. ^ a b "Victor Cook's Daughter Inspires Cartoon Character". HalfKorean.com. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  13. ^ "Script Coordinators In Modern Disney Cartoons (Whether Or Not By Disney TVA)". Anime Superhero. 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  14. ^ Trumbore, Dave (2018-02-02). "How 'Stretch Armstrong' Evolved from Novelty Toy to a Novel Superhero Series". Collider. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  15. ^ "2000s trend - Teen Hero action cartoons". Anime Superhero. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  16. ^ "INTERVIEWS". DC Animated. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  17. ^ Sims, Chris (2017-01-19). "'Young Justice' Episode Guide: Season 1, Episodes 19-20: 'Misplaced' / 'Coldhearted'".
  18. ^ Cummings, Justin (2019-02-03). "50 Years of Scooby: An Interview with Victor Cook". Overly Animated. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  19. ^ Murphy, Jackson (2019-06-11). "INTERVIEW: Victor Cook on Disney Channel's "T.O.T.S."". Animation Scoop. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  20. ^ "Aladdin and the King of Thieves". Filmoria. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  21. ^ Ziggiotto, Simone (2016-12-24). "Disney Cinemagic: i tre film su Tarzan della Disney a Natale" (in Italian). Movie Tele. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  22. ^ "Sci-Fi". Film Freak Central. 2004-06-10. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  23. ^ "21 Grams". Turner Classic Movies. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  24. ^ a b Trumbore, Dave (2019-04-02). "'Hellboy Animated' 4K Release Brings Back the Original Cast in a Fantastic Double Feature". Collider. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  25. ^ "Memphis & Shelby County Film/TV Commission Production Directory 2012-2013". issuu. Oz Publishing, Inc. 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  26. ^ a b c Jeliel, Iann (2021-02-07). "CRÍTICA SCOOBY DOO: EPISÓDIOS ESPECIAIS – PARTE 2" (in Portuguese). Plano Critico. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  27. ^ "Unmasked History of Scooby Doo Episode 15: Victor Cook". The Unmasked History of Scooby-Doo! Podcast. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  28. ^ "Victor Cook". BFI. n.d. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  29. ^ "Robosapien: Cody, un robot con corazón" (in Spanish). Cineyseries. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  30. ^ "SCOOBY-DOO! GHASTLY GOALS". Library of Congress. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  31. ^ "Mickey's Treat (2007)". Cine Magia. n.d. Retrieved 2021-11-09.

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