Rubén Procopio
Encyclopedia
Rubén Procopio is an American animation
and comic book
artist. Long affiliated with Walt Disney Feature Animation
as an animator and sculptor, Rubén is credited with restoring the maquette
process to feature animation film production in the early 1980s. He is the founder of Masked Avenger Studios, whose clients include Walt Disney Studios
, Warner Bros. Studios, New Line Cinema
, Cartoon Network
, Electric Tiki and DC Comics
. He is known for his versatile sculpting and illustration style in both cartoony and realistic characters, with an emphasis on Disney characters, superheroes, and the masked heroes of yesteryear.
when Ruben was four years old and his father Adolfo Procopio began an acclaimed 35 year career as a Walt Disney Imagineering
sculptor whose works can be seen in Disney theme parks worldwide.
A seminal moment in Procopio's childhood was when he read Alex Toth
’s Super Friends
DC Treasury process of TV Animation. Later in life, Toth became one of Procopio’s close friends.
Procopio's artistic development was guided through daily drawing assignments from his father. His early dedication and discipline earned him scholarships to Cal Arts and Art Center College of Design
, followed by the opportunity to join Walt Disney Feature Animation at age 18.
, one of Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men,” and other Disney veterans.
From the 1980s through the early 2000s, Procopio contributed his varied 2D and 3D talents to more than 25 feature films produced in Disney’s California and Florida studios, several of which received Academy Award nominations.
Over this time Procopio worked as an animator, artistic supervisor, head of department, character designer, story-board artist, video game supervisor, and maquette sculptor, in addition to being credited with restoring the maquette art form to the film production process. Rubén also served as an international ambassador for Disney promoting its films, and was dispatched by Roy Disney
to oversee construction of the Walt Disney Monument in Madrid, Spain. His Ursula
maquette from The Little Mermaid
holds a place in the Smithsonian Institution permanent collection.
In 2003, inspired by his lifelong admiration of the masked heroes of yesteryear, Procopio founded Masked Avenger Studios, specializing in sculpture, animation and design. Procopio’s father Adolfo and sister Vivian also participate in Masked Avenger Studios to offer its clients more than 60 years of combined artistic experience and talent to numerous major motion picture, animation and television studios, comic book publishers, and manufacturers and designers of toys and collectible statues.
Procopio is a key contributor to the award winning Walt Disney Classics Collection
, bringing Disney characters to life through three dimensional porcelain sculptures and promoting the products through gallery appearances. His works include Elastigirl and Edna Mode from The Incredibles
, Ursula
from Disney's The Little Mermaid, Genie
from Disney's Aladdin, Chernabog and the 2006 Signature Series Magical Maelstrom from Fantasia
(for which Procopio animated the brooms and pails of water before sculpting them), and several pieces in the Pirates of the Caribbean
series.
Procopio also developed, with Electric Tiki Design, the Classic Heroes line of collectible statues, which includes such characters as The Phantom
, The Green Hornet and Kato
, Dick Tracy
, The Lone Ranger
, Zorro
, Flash Gordon
, The Tick
, Mandrake the Magician
, Prince Valiant
, Tarzan
and Lassie
, in their Teeny Weeny line he has sculpted such memorable characters as Mighty Mouse
, Woody Woodpecker
, Popeye
, Mr. Magoo
, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Andy Panda
and Chilly Willy
, and in 2006 sculpted the new “Sergio” award for the Comic Art Professional Society, named for its founder Sergio Argones. When Rubén steps from his sculpting table to his drawing board, he illustrates comic books and graphic novels, including works featuring his original characters Chameleonman and Goliath. Rubén’s father Adolfo and sister Vivian are the inspiration for the characters in the Chameleonman comic series.
Procopio is fluent in Spanish and Italian, and enjoys international correspondence with artist community colleagues and fans. His sister Vivian Procopio, who contributes her design and project management talents, also enjoyed a long career as a Research Administrator in the Walt Disney Feature Animation Research Library.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist. Long affiliated with Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California. The studio, founded in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, is the oldest subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
as an animator and sculptor, Rubén is credited with restoring the maquette
Maquette
A maquette is a small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished architectural work or a sculpture...
process to feature animation film production in the early 1980s. He is the founder of Masked Avenger Studios, whose clients include Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, Warner Bros. Studios, New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, Electric Tiki and DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. He is known for his versatile sculpting and illustration style in both cartoony and realistic characters, with an emphasis on Disney characters, superheroes, and the masked heroes of yesteryear.
Early life
Procopio’s parents, émigrés of Italian origin, went to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
when Ruben was four years old and his father Adolfo Procopio began an acclaimed 35 year career as a Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...
sculptor whose works can be seen in Disney theme parks worldwide.
A seminal moment in Procopio's childhood was when he read Alex Toth
Alex Toth
Alexander Toth was an American professional cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but is known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout the 1960s and 1970s. His work included Super Friends, Space Ghost, The...
’s Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
DC Treasury process of TV Animation. Later in life, Toth became one of Procopio’s close friends.
Procopio's artistic development was guided through daily drawing assignments from his father. His early dedication and discipline earned him scholarships to Cal Arts and Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
, followed by the opportunity to join Walt Disney Feature Animation at age 18.
Career
At Disney Feature Animation, Procopio trained under Eric LarsonEric Larson
Eric Larson was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios starting in 1933 and was one of the "Disney's Nine Old Men."...
, one of Disney’s legendary “Nine Old Men,” and other Disney veterans.
From the 1980s through the early 2000s, Procopio contributed his varied 2D and 3D talents to more than 25 feature films produced in Disney’s California and Florida studios, several of which received Academy Award nominations.
Over this time Procopio worked as an animator, artistic supervisor, head of department, character designer, story-board artist, video game supervisor, and maquette sculptor, in addition to being credited with restoring the maquette art form to the film production process. Rubén also served as an international ambassador for Disney promoting its films, and was dispatched by Roy Disney
Roy Disney
Roy Disney may refer to:* Roy O. Disney , Walt Disney's elder brother and the financier of his efforts* Roy E. Disney , his son, director emeritus of The Walt Disney Company...
to oversee construction of the Walt Disney Monument in Madrid, Spain. His Ursula
Ursula
Ursula is a female given name of Latin origin, meaning "little female bear". Ursula may refer to:-People:*Saint Ursula, Christian saint*Ursula , feminine given name derived from the Latin language-Fiction characters:...
maquette from The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...
holds a place in the Smithsonian Institution permanent collection.
In 2003, inspired by his lifelong admiration of the masked heroes of yesteryear, Procopio founded Masked Avenger Studios, specializing in sculpture, animation and design. Procopio’s father Adolfo and sister Vivian also participate in Masked Avenger Studios to offer its clients more than 60 years of combined artistic experience and talent to numerous major motion picture, animation and television studios, comic book publishers, and manufacturers and designers of toys and collectible statues.
Procopio is a key contributor to the award winning Walt Disney Classics Collection
Walt Disney Classics Collection
The Walt Disney Classics Collection is a series of collectible sculptures of Disney characters and scenes. The sculptures were initially done under the supervision of the Disney animators, and were hand painted and produced in limited editions. They were introduced in July, 1992. The sculptures...
, bringing Disney characters to life through three dimensional porcelain sculptures and promoting the products through gallery appearances. His works include Elastigirl and Edna Mode from The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
, Ursula
Ursula
Ursula is a female given name of Latin origin, meaning "little female bear". Ursula may refer to:-People:*Saint Ursula, Christian saint*Ursula , feminine given name derived from the Latin language-Fiction characters:...
from Disney's The Little Mermaid, Genie
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
from Disney's Aladdin, Chernabog and the 2006 Signature Series Magical Maelstrom from Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
(for which Procopio animated the brooms and pails of water before sculpting them), and several pieces in the Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of fantasy-adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski and Rob Marshall , written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
series.
Procopio also developed, with Electric Tiki Design, the Classic Heroes line of collectible statues, which includes such characters as The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
, The Green Hornet and Kato
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is an American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. Since his radio debut in the 1930s, the Green Hornet has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media...
, Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
, The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
, Zorro
Zorro
Zorro is a fictional character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The character has been featured in numerous books, films, television series, and other media....
, Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
, The Tick
The Tick
The Tick is a fictional character created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a newsletter mascot for the New England Comics chain of Boston area comic stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. After its creation, the character spun off into an independent comic book series in...
, Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician
Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk , which began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate.Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964,...
, Prince Valiant
Prince Valiant
Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
, Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
and Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
, in their Teeny Weeny line he has sculpted such memorable characters as Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse
Mighty Mouse is an animated superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox.-History:The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named Superfly. Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a cartoon mouse instead...
, Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
, Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
, Mr. Magoo
Mr. Magoo
Quincy Magoo is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of sticky situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem...
, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Andy Panda
Andy Panda
Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947 and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titular character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a...
and Chilly Willy
Chilly Willy
Chilly Willy is a cartoon character, a diminutive anthropomorphic penguin living in Alaska, although the species is native only to the southern hemisphere. He was created by Paul J. Smith for the Walter Lantz studio in 1953...
, and in 2006 sculpted the new “Sergio” award for the Comic Art Professional Society, named for its founder Sergio Argones. When Rubén steps from his sculpting table to his drawing board, he illustrates comic books and graphic novels, including works featuring his original characters Chameleonman and Goliath. Rubén’s father Adolfo and sister Vivian are the inspiration for the characters in the Chameleonman comic series.
Procopio is fluent in Spanish and Italian, and enjoys international correspondence with artist community colleagues and fans. His sister Vivian Procopio, who contributes her design and project management talents, also enjoyed a long career as a Research Administrator in the Walt Disney Feature Animation Research Library.
Filmography
- The Fox and The HoundThe Fox and the Hound (film)The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated feature loosely based on the Daniel P. Mannix novel of the same name, produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in the United States on July 10, 1981...
- The Black CauldronThe Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron can refer to:* The Black Cauldron , the second novel in The Chronicles of Prydain series* The Black Cauldron , the Disney animated film based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series...
- The Great Mouse DetectiveThe Great Mouse DetectiveThe Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
- Oliver & CompanyOliver & CompanyOliver & Company is a 1988 American animated film in which a homeless kitten named Oliver joins a gang of dogs to survive on the 1980s New York City streets. The film was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and became the twenty-seventh animated feature released in the Walt Disney Animated...
- The Rescuers Down UnderThe Rescuers Down UnderThe Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990...
- The Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the PauperThe Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
- Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
- Cranium CommandCranium CommandCranium Command was an attraction at the Wonders of Life pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot theme park. The show was a humorous presentation on the importance of the human brain....
- Disney's The Little Mermaid
- Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (1991 film)Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
- Disney's Aladdin
- Trail Mix up
- The Lion KingThe Lion KingThe Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
- Disney's Pocahontas
- Hunchback of Notre Dame
- MulanMulanMulan is a 1998 American animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney...
- Disney's Tarzan
- Atlantis: The Lost EmpireAtlantis: The Lost EmpireAtlantis: The Lost Empire is a 2001 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Written by Tab Murphy, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn, it is the first science fiction film in the Disney animated features canon and the 41st overall. The film...
- Home on the RangeHome on the Range"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
- LorenzoLorenzoLorenzo may refer to:People:* Lorenzo , including a list of people with the given name or surname LorenzoPlaces:* San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo* Lorenzo, Texas...
Other work
- "Name's Hades, Lord of the Dead" Hades, Walt Disney Classics Collection;
- Ursula at Vanity: Devilish Diva, Ursula, Walt Disney Classics Collection;
- "Drink Up, Me 'earties!" Pirate With Pigs, Walt Disney Classics Collection;
- "A Pirate's Life For Me" Pirate on Archway, Walt Disney Classics Collection;
- Lockjaw, Marvel/Bowen;
- Hellboy Classic Hereoes-Electric Tiki;
- Shazam DC Direct;
- Phantom Classic Heroes - Electric Tiki;
- The Lone Ranger, Classic Heroes;
- Lassie, Classic Heroes-Electric Tiki;
- Zorro, Classic Heroes-Electric Tiki;
- Mighty Mouse – Teeny Weeny Series -Electric Tiki;
- Comic Art Professionals Society “Sergio” Award,;
- Cover, Alter Ego FCA [Alex edition December;
- Cover and story with Ron MarzRon MarzRon Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
, First American Phantom Annual, Moonstone Comics; - Illustrator, The Phantom Chronicles, Moonstone Books;
- Author, The PhantomThe PhantomThe Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
Chronicles Artist's Annex, Moonstone BooksMoonstone BooksMoonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales....
and Masked Avenger Studios; - Interior Illustrator, Tales of ZorroTales of ZorroTales of Zorro is a 2008 anthology of Zorro stories and is the first collection of original short fiction featuring pulp hero Zorro, edited by United States author, editor and copywriter Richard Dean Starr and published by Moonstone Books in 2008...
, Moonstone BooksMoonstone BooksMoonstone Books is an American comic book, graphic novel, and prose fiction publisher based in Chicago focused on pulp fiction comic books and prose anthologies as well as horror and western tales....
External links
- Masked Avenger Studios website
- http://maskedavengerstudios.blogspot.com at Masked Avenger Studios
- Chameleon Man at Masked Avenger Studios