Tom Ruegger
| Tom Ruegger | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Thomas Charles Ruegger April 4, 1954 Metuchen, New Jersey, United States |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Annie Malley (m. 2006) |
| Children | 3 (including Nathan Ruegger) |
| Website | Official blog |
Thomas Charles Ruegger (/ˈruːɡər/; born April 4, 1954) is an American animator, best known for his association with Walt Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He is also known for creating Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Histeria!.
Early life and career
Ruegger was born in Metuchen, New Jersey. During his childhood, he would draw images of The Flintstones when it aired.[1] He attended Washington School.[1]
In 1976, he made his first cartoon called The Premiere of Platypus Duck, while he was a student at Dartmouth College. Shortly after graduation from Dartmoth in 1976,[2] he moved to Los Angeles to become an animator.[1] Ruegger began his career at Hanna-Barbera, writing and producing various animated series, most notably Snorks, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Pound Puppies, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. He also wrote one episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
In 1989 he began working alongside Jean MacCurdy and Steven Spielberg at Warner Bros. Animation to create and produce several animated series including Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Histeria, Batman: The Animated Series, The Plucky Duck Show, Freakazoid, Taz-Mania and Road Rovers.
In 2004, Ruegger started Tom Ruegger Production, a full-service animation studio. In 2006, Ruegger began developing, story-editing and serving as executive producer on the 40-episode animated series Animalia, based on the picture book by Graeme Base. Along with Nicholas Hollander, he developed and story-edited another animated series entitled Sushi Pack.
In 2011, Ruegger began working for Walt Disney Television Animation and Disney Junior, where he executive produced 40 half-hours of The 7D, a comedy based on the 7 Dwarfs from Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs. As of 2017, he is developing new animated series for Disney Junior.
Ruegger has received fourteen Emmy Awards for his work in animation.
Personal life
Ruegger and Adrienne Alexander married in 1986 and had three sons together, Nathan, Luke and Cody. The couple divorced in 2004 after sixteen years of marriage. In 2006, he married marathon runner Annie Malley, and they reside near Los Angeles, California. Nathan Ruegger provided the voice for the baby version of Plucky Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures, Skippy Squirrel on Animaniacs and Froggo on Histeria, where Luke provided the voice for the Flame and Bumpo Basset on Animaniacs and Big Fat Baby on Histeria. Cody performed the voice of Little Blue Bird on Animaniacs and Loud Kiddington on Histeria. Ruegger's sons also are the primary inspiration behind the main characters in Animaniacs, Yakko, Wakko and Dot.[3]
As of 2017, Cody is serving as an attorney in New York City,[4] while Nathan and Luke have careers in film and television in Los Angeles.
Tom Ruegger himself also made occasional cameos on his shows in caricature form, most notably as the recurring character of director Cooper DeVille in Tiny Toon Adventures.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | The Premiere of Platypus Duck | Director |
| 1988 | The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound | Writer |
| 1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation | Writer, Producer |
| 1993 | Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Executive Producer |
| 1999 | Wakko's Wish | Writer, Producer, Director |
TV
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Blackstar | Writer |
| 1983–1984 | The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries | Developer, Story, Writer, Animator, & Producer |
| 1984–1989 | Snorks | Writer & Animator |
| 1985 | The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo | Story, Writer, Creator & Animator |
| 1986–1987 | Pound Puppies | Writer, Animator |
| 1988–1991 | A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | Developer, Story, Storyboard Artist, Writer, & Executive Producer |
| 1990–1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Writer, Creator, Producer |
| 1991–1995 | Taz-Mania | Executive Producer, Developer |
| 1992–1995 | Batman: The Animated Series | Writer, Executive Producer, Creator |
| 1992 | The Plucky Duck Show | Creator, Writer, Executive Producer |
| 1993–1998 | Animaniacs | Writer, Creator, Senior Producer |
| 1995–1997 | Freakazoid! | Writer, Developer, Senior Producer |
| 1995–1998 | Pinky and the Brain | Writer, Creator, & Senior Producer |
| 1996–1997 | Road Rovers | Creator, Writer, & Executive Producer |
| 1998–2000 | Histeria! | Creator, Writer, Producer, & Executive Producer |
| 1998-1999 | Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain | Creator, Writer |
| 2007–2008 | Animalia | Developer, Story Editor, Executive Producer, & Editor |
| 2007–2009 | Sushi Pack | Writer, Creator |
| 2013 | Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures | Writer, Developer |
| 2014–2016 | The 7D | Executive Producer, Writer |
References
- 1 2 3 O'Donnell, Chuck (July 20, 2014). "Cartoon genius inspired by childhood in Metuchen". MyCentralJersey. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ↑ Hunter, Sara Hougland. "Class Note 1976". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine (September–October 2016). Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ↑ Lamour, Joseph (April 14, 2016). "11 Secrets You Never Knew About Animaniacs, Pinky & the Brain, and Freakazoid!". MTV.com. MTV Networks. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ↑ Ruegger, Tom [@tomruegger] (March 28, 2016). "My son Cody Ruegger -voice of the Blue Bird #animaniacs & Loud Kiddington #Histeria sworn in as attorney today in NY" (Tweet). Retrieved August 29, 2017 – via Twitter.
