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Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone

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Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone
Brandt and Cervone in 2015
Born
Occupation(s)Animator, producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor
Years active1991–present
EmployerWarner Bros. Animation
Spouse
​
(m. 2012)​
(Cervone)

Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone are an American television writing, animation and production team at Warner Bros. Animation and formerly at Nickelodeon Animation Studios. Brandt was born on December 24, 1961, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Cervone was also born on November 15, 1966, in Melrose Park, Illinois.

The duo is best known for doing various projects about Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Tom and Jerry, and Looney Tunes. They had also worked on Animaniacs, Duck Dodgers, The Looney Tunes Show, and various other projects. Brandt had also voiced Spike Bulldog in various Tom and Jerry direct-to-DVD movies.

Early life

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Brandt was born on December 24, 1961, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as Christopher John Brandt while Cervone was born on November 15, 1966, in Melrose Park, Illinois as Anthony Joseph Cervone.

Career

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Beginnings

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Both Brandt and Cervone started their careers in 1991. Brandt got his start in animation at StarToons, a prominent animation studio located in Chicago. John McClenahan, the founder of StarToons, had worked previously for studios such as Hanna-Barbera. McClenahan hired Brandt because the studio needed some help animating episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures for Warner Bros.

Brandt stayed for three years at StarToons, where he also worked on Warner Bros. shows like Taz-Mania and Animaniacs. It was during their shared tenure at StarToons that Brandt met fellow animator Tony Cervone, with them both serving as animation directors on Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights.

Projects with Warner Bros.

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The duo would go on to write, direct, and produce several projects for Warner Bros. starting in 1994, both together and solo. The Brandt-Cervone formula has proven to consist of revamping classic cartoon characters and series for contemporary audiences without compromising their original appeal.

They wrote, directed, and produced all episodes on Duck Dodgers (a re-imagining of a classic Daffy Duck segment) which aired from 2003 to 2005.[1][2] Likewise, they were the developers, directors, and supervising producers of both Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and The Looney Tunes Show.[3]

Brandt and Cervone would direct several Tom and Jerry direct-to-video films such as Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale and Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, also with other films having crossovers with the duo such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Sherlock Holmes. Brandt would also co-direct the 2005 short The Karate Guard alongside Tom and Jerry co-creator, Joseph Barbera. It was the last Tom and Jerry cartoon with Barbera’s involvement before his death on December 18, 2006, one year after the short aired in theatres.[4] Brandt would provide the voices of Spike the Bulldog and also voiced the titular title characters, despite being uncredited for the latter roles.

The duo also produced and directed several Scooby-Doo projects, including the straight-to-video films Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo and Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery. In 2018, Brandt directed the animation for an episode of Supernatural, which was a crossover with the characters of Scooby-Doo titled Scoobynatural. Cervone also directed several State Farm commercials featuring the Scooby-Doo characters.

Cervone served as the animation director for the 1996 film, Space Jam while Brandt became animation director on its sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021.[5][6] Cervone went on to make his feature directorial debut with Scoob!, a film based on the Scooby-Doo franchise and was the first film of an Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe. He also provided the voice of a ghost and Mr. Rigby. It was released in 2020 and received mixed reviews. In 2021, Cervone announced that a sequel to the film was in development.[7] The film, Scoob! Holiday Haunt, was set for release in December 2022 but was cancelled by Warner Bros. Discovery citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming. Despite it being cancelled, it was eventually finished.[8] Cervone also served as a consultant for Tom & Jerry.

Personal life

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Cervone married film producer Allison Abbate in 2012.

Filmography

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Directors

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Writers

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Producers

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Supervising producers

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Supervising directors

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Voice actors

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Voice directors

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Storyboard artists

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Designers

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  • 2010: Fuse Presents Z100's Jingle Ball

Assistant directors

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Animation directors

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Lyrics

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Animators

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Consultants

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References

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  1. ^ Cutler, Jacqueline (2003-08-23). "It's back to the future for Duck Dodgers". Ocala Star-Banner. p. 14. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 169–170. ISBN 9781538103746.
  3. ^ Arrant, Chris. ""The Looney Tunes Show" press release".
  4. ^ Goodman, Martin (2010-06-10). "Dr. Toon: Revisiting Barbera's Swan Song". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  5. ^ Failes, Ian (15 November 2016). "The Oral History of 'Space Jam': Part 1 – Launching the Movie". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  6. ^ INTERVIEW: Director Malcolm D. Lee plays in the animation court for SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
  7. ^ "Scoob 2 Is Happening with Original Team Behind Scoob!". MovieWeb. 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  8. ^ Burton, Carson (2022-11-12). "'Scoob! Holiday Haunt' Was Axed Three Months Ago. Its Director Explains Why He Finished It Anyway". Variety. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  9. ^ Little Go Beep
  10. ^ "'Scooby-Doo the Sword and the Scoob' Available February 23". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  11. ^ "Learn How to Draw Tom & Jerry | HBO Max Family". YouTube. 23 March 2021.
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