Out Talk Event Guest & Juror, Barry Cook

Barry Cook is a veteran of film and animation with four decades of experience in the industry. He began his career at Hanna-Barbera Studios, where he got his professional start as an Assistant Animator on the pilot episode of “The Smurfs”. In the early 1980’s he was hired by Walt Disney Studios to lend his talents as an Effects Animator to such notable features as “Tron”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin”.

His feature debut was in 1998 with Disney’s “Mulan” which became an instant classic. For his work on the picture, Barry received the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Award for “Best Individual Achievement for Feature Directing”.

Barry also developed the feature film properties “My Peoples” for Disney in 2003 and “Mean Margaret” for Starz Entertainment in 2005. LAIKA Entertainment hired Barry in 2008 as a development director where he co-wrote the screenplay “Jack & Ben”.

In 2009 Barry signed with Aardman Animations and co-directed their hilarious CG animated feature “Arthur Christmas” which was released by Sony/Columbia Pictures in 2011.