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Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone | |
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_Tony_Cervone_(Right)_getting_interviewed_by_Toon_Barn_at_the_SDCC_2015.jpg) Brandt and Cervone in 2015 | |
| Born |
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| Occupation(s) | Animators, voice actors |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Employer | Warner Bros. Animation |
| Spouse | (Cervone) |
Christopher John "Spike" Brandt andAnthony Joseph "Tony" Cervone are American animators, writers, and voice actors working forWarner Bros. Animation and formerlyNickelodeon Animation Studios. Brandt was born on December 24, 1961, inMilwaukee,Wisconsin, and Cervone was born on November 15, 1966, inMelrose Park,Illinois.
The duo is best known for doing various projects aboutScooby-Doo,The Flintstones,Tom and Jerry, andLooney Tunes. They had also worked onAnimaniacs,Duck Dodgers,The Looney Tunes Show, and various other projects. Brandt had also voicedSpike Bulldog in variousTom and Jerry direct-to-DVD movies.
Brandt was born on December 24, 1961, inMilwaukee,Wisconsin as Christopher John Brandt while Cervone was born on November 15, 1966, inMelrose Park, Illinois as Anthony Joseph Cervone.
Both Brandt and Cervone started their careers in 1991. Brandt got his start in animation atStarToons, a prominent animation studio located inChicago. John McClenahan, the founder of StarToons, had worked previously for studios such asHanna-Barbera. McClenahan hired Brandt because the studio needed some help animating episodes ofTiny Toon Adventures forWarner Bros.
Brandt stayed for three years at StarToons, where he also worked on Warner Bros. shows likeTaz-Mania andAnimaniacs. It was during their shared tenure at StarToons that Brandt met fellow animator Tony Cervone, with them both serving as animation directors onScooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights.
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 onDuck Dodgers (a re-imagining of a classicDaffy Duck segment) which aired from 2003 to 2005.[1][2] Likewise, they were the developers, directors, and supervising producers of bothScooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated andThe Looney Tunes Show. They developed the two shows alongside Mitch Watson in the former, and Sam Register in the latter.[3]
Brandt and Cervone would direct severalTom and Jerry direct-to-video films such asTom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale andTom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, also with other films having crossovers with the duo such asWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factory andSherlock Holmes. Brandt would also co-direct the 2005 shortThe Karate Guard alongsideTom and Jerry co-creator,Joseph Barbera. It was the lastTom 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 ofSpike the Bulldog and also voicedthe titulartitle characters, despite being uncredited for the latter roles.
The duo also produced and directed severalScooby-Doo projects, including the straight-to-video filmsScooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo andScooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery. In 2018, Brandt directed the animation for an episode ofSupernatural, which was a crossover with the characters ofScooby-Doo titledScoobynatural. Cervone also directed severalState Farm commercials featuring theScooby-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 hisfeature directorial debut withScoob!, a film based on theScooby-Doo franchise and was the first film of anHanna-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 byWarner 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 forTom & Jerry.
Cervone married film producerAllison Abbate in 2012.