Veteran Disney animators and directors Tony Bancroft (of The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast) host a reunion 30 years in the making!  In the late 70s, "The Rats' Nest" was a derogatory name given to a small group of young, rebellious animators who where relegated to a tiny room in the Disney Feature Animation building.  Eager to have their voices be heard in the fairly regimented studio environment of that time, this group, trained by Walt's "Nine Old Men", instead, took the name as an ironic badge of honor. These mavericks ultimately went on to direct and animate several now classic films both inside and outside of Disney. 

 

These films include, among others: The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, FernGully: The Last Rainforest, The Brave Little Toaster, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.   For the first time in 30 years, CTN Expo is bringing all the Rats together for a free wheeling discussion of life at Disney in the 70s as well as animations past, present and future. All of the original Rats' Nest members will attend this lively panel: Brad Bird, Dan Haskett, Bill Kroyer, John Musker, Jerry Rees, and Henry Selick!