Bill Perkins
During the last 35 years Bill has worked in the animation and film industry on
over 42 films, TV shows, DVDs, short films, and video games. He began his film
career as a layout artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation on Oliver and Co. and
continued a string of hits Including Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, layout
lead on Rescuers Down Under, and art director on Aladdin. He left Disney
during Fantasia 2000 while art directing the Pines of Rome in 1994.
Bill moved to Warner bros to as a visual development artist, and art directed
Space Jam. After the success of Space Jam Bill was asked to help launch the
design for Shrek at DreamWorks. He then moved to San Francisco to production
design Frankenstein for ILM. When the project cancelled Bill returned to
Moorpark and opened High Street Studio, an independent preproduction and
design studio for clients that included Walt Disney Feature Animation, DNA
Productions, Character Builders, and Disneytoon Studios. In 2005, he worked
with the 9 th Ray Studios on Outlander a live action project (Ascendant Films), The
Spiderwick Chronicles and Charlotte’s Web (Paramount). In 2007 Bill worked
with Spark unlimited, a video game company. By the end of the year, he rejoined
Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio and worked as visual development artist
on Bolt, Prep and Landing I and II, Tangled, Frozen, Zootopia and art directed A
Tick Tock Tale. In 2011 he began working with Disneytoon Studio and for the
next 6 years did artwork for WDI, and Walt Disney Pictures, and MPC. After
leaving Disneytoons he worked on Mary Poppins Returns, then Warner
bros./Netflix on Green Eggs and Ham. Bill is currently executive of Visual
Development at Marvel Studios and track leader for Entertainment Art at the Art
Center College of Design.
Past Projects/Roles
2021-2023
Executive of Visual Development Marvel Studios
2018-2021
ArtCenter College of Design Track leader/Entertainment Art
Green Eggs and Ham, Art Director Warner bros/Netflix
Freelance Concept Art, Cast and Crew, Duncan Studio
Freelance Concept Art, Netflix
2011-2017
Mary Poppins Layout
Ironman Ride, Shanghai WDI Freelance Concept Illustrator
Art Center College of Design Instructor
Cal Arts Instructor
The Jungle Book, MPC, opening title design
Copernicus Legacy Book Series, Harper Collins
2011
Art Director Disneytoon Studio Cars World development
Zootopia, Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Frozen, Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Prep and Landing II, Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Visual Development, Divine 9 Studio
King of the Elves, Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Copernicus Legacy Book Series, Harper Collins
Lecture Composition and Design BYU Provo Utah
Figure Painting, Instructor, Concept Design Academy
Color Boot Camp, Painting Workshop Instructor
Gallery Nucleus, Gallery Exhibit
Disneyland Game Walt Disney/Playdom
2009-2010
Walt Disney Imagineering (undisclosed projects)
Prep and Landing II Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Coyote and Road Runner short freelance, Warner bros.
Sylvester and Tweedy short freelance, Warner bros.
Daffy and Elmer short freelance, Warner bros.
Winnie the Pooh Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
The Ballad of Nessie Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Prep and Landing Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Tangled Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Tick Tock Walt Disney Animation Art Director
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
Instructor: Visual Development/Composition
Gallery Nucleus, Lecture/Exhibit
Color and Composition, Concept Design Academy
Color Boot Camp, Painting Workshop
2008
Bolt Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
Instructor: Composition I and II, Color Theory I
2007
Spark Unlimited Art Director
American Dog Walt Disney Animation Vis-Dev
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
Instructor: Composition I
2006
Sprite Entertainment Art Director on Gon
Reel FX Freelance Concept Design
Spark Unlimited Consultant, Freelance Cinematic Storyboards
Little Mermaid III Disneytoons, Workbook
Spiderwick Chronicles Paramount, Preproduction Concept Design
Anthem Animation Concept Illustration
Mass Media (video games) Concept Illustrations
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
Instructor: Composition and Color
2005
The Bloody Angle Camp Chaos/History Channel Storyboards Concept paintings
American Dog Disney Feature Animation Visual Development Artist
Mass Media Concept Illustrations
Outlander 9th Ray Studio Storyboard/Concept Artist
John Carter of Mars 9th Ray Studio Paramount Visual Development and Storyboard artist
2004
Fox and the Hound II Hot Donut/Disneytoons Studio Production Designer
Brother Bear II Disneytoons Studio Visual Development
2003
The Ant Bully DNA Productions Visual Development
Tarzan II Character Builders/Disneytoons Studio Art Director
2002
101 Dalmatians “Patch’s London Adventure” Character Builders/Disneytoons Studio Art Director
2001
Established High St. Studio VisualDevelopment and Pre-production co.
Moon-crescent Animation Visual Consultant
2000
Osmosis Jones Warner bros. Workbook/Layout
1999
Brother Bear Development
Frankenstein ILM/Universal (unreleased)) Production Designer
1998
Shrek Dreamworks Visual Development
1997
Space Jam Warner bros. Art Director
Iron Giant Visual Development
1994
Fantasia 2000 Walt Disney Feature Animation1985 Art Director “Pines of Rome”
Aladdin Art Director
Beauty and the Beast Layout
Rescuers Down Under Layout Lead
The Little Mermaid Layout
Oliver and Co. Layout
Fine Art
Bill’s love for plein-air painting and eagerness for travel fueled his fine art career that began when he took a year out of college to travel and paint around California and Arizona. Soon after he graduated, he went to Mexico to paint in preparation for his first solo show the same year. After being accepted into a couple of galleries and exhibited with the Springville Museum in Utah, and The National Watercolor Society, he organized the Plein-Air Artists of California. The group was granted an exhibition at the Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art in 1985. As a result, he was invited to join the Plein-Air Painters of America all before his 30 th birthday. These experiences, along with the US going into a recession and galleries closing he pursued further artistic collaborations and in 1986 began working Walt Disney Animation studio.
Night Sky Gallery, Redondo Beach Calif. One man shows 1980
Esther Wells Collection, Laguna Beach Ca. 1981-1987
Festival of Fine Art, Laguna Beach Ca. 1981
Monterey Peninsula Museum of Art 1985
P.A.P.A. Member 1985-91
Springfield Museum of Art Utah, Spring Salon 1987
National Watercolor Society exhibit 1985
Shriver Gallery N.M. 1983-86
Instructor
Concept Design Academy
Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
Palos Verde’s Art Center
California Art Institute
Associates in Art
Independent Workshops (2006 to present)
Mentor at Disney and Warner bros.
The Acme Network, online animation training program
Laguna College of Art and Design game division
New Masters Academy online
Art Center College of Design
Education
BFA with Honors Illustration 1980 Art Center College of Design
Mentorship with Dan McCaw 1983
