Animator, director to speak at Coeur d'Con

COEUR d'ALENE - Classic cartoon animator and director Tom Cook will be a special guest at Coeur d'Con, hosted by the Coeur d'Alene Public Library this month.

Coeur d'Con is a daylong convention celebrating books, movies, games, manga, comics and all of the many avenues of geek culture. Cook, a Hayden resident, will discuss his career, which began in 1978 when he worked as an animator and director at Hanna-Barbera Studios.

At Hanna-Barbera, Cook worked on "Challenge of the SuperFriends," "Godzilla," "Scooby-Doo," "The Smurfs," "Pacman" and "The Flintstones." A short stop at Ruby-Spears had him working on "Thundarr the Barbarian," "Heathcliff," "Fang Face" and "Plastic Man."

Freelancing at Film Roman he worked on "Garfield: Babes and Bullets" and for Bill Melendez on the "Peanuts" special "This is America Charlie Brown."

In 1980, he moved to Filmation Studios, at the time the only studio doing animation in the United States, and worked on "Tarzan," "Flash Gordon," "Blackstar," "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids," "Brown Hornet," "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe," "She-Ra Princess of Power," "Ghostbusters," "Lone Ranger," "Zorro," "The Kids Super Power Hour with Shazam (Captain Marvel)," "Hero High" and the futuristic "Western Bravestarr."

He then became the timing director on "Road Rovers," "Disney's Mighty Ducks," "PB & J Otter," "Duckman," "King of the Hill," "Savage Dragon," HBO's "Happily Ever After Fairy Tales," "Extreme Ghostbusters," "Extreme Dinosaurs" and many more.

Cook also animated for a number of motion pictures such as Walt Disney's "Prince and the Pauper" starring Mickey Mouse, "Roger Rabbit in Tummy Trouble," "The Jetsons Movie," "Rover Dangerfield," worked with the legendary Chuck Jones on "Stay Tuned," "Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night," Steven Spielberg's "We're Back" and Don Bluth's "Thumbelina."

Coeur d'Con is free of charge and will feature local artists and experts exhibiting and selling their goods throughout the library. Library staff, and guests, will offer a variety of themed crafts, games, and other activities, with events for every age group throughout the day.

All library-led crafts and activities will be free for participants including a Pokeball craft, Zelda slingshot challenge, facepainting, and more.

Children and teens alike will also get to try their hand at comic creation in a Build-a-Comic Workshop, during which they will be able to explore the digital and traditional art forms.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore new and emerging technologies, both fun and functional, with the SPLAT! Tech Petting Zoo. Gamers of all types can take a few minutes to challenge opponents in the open gaming lounge or in one of the tabletop tournaments.

Like its larger counterpart, wearing costumes is encouraged at Coeur d'Con, and a costume contest will take place at 2 p.m. in the Community Room of the library.

Registration for the contest will begin at 11 a.m. and participation will be limited to the first 30 registrants. As this will be a family-friendly event, participants are encouraged to keep costumes tasteful and appropriate for the audience.

Interested in participating as a panelist, presenter, guest, vendor, or artist? Check out the Coeur d'Con website at www.coeurdcon.wordpress.com, where you can access applications, keep up with the latest updates, and contact event coordinators.

You can also email [email protected], or contact Young Adult Coordinator Laura Jenkins by calling (208) 769-2315 ext. 469 or emailing [email protected].