MICHAEL IGAFO-TE'O

Animator with Autism

I am an Samoan-American who was born at the Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla, Missouri on September 9, 1994. The original theatrical release of Walt Disney Animation Studios' HIGHEST-GROSSING traditionally animated feature film entitled "The Lion King" was released in June of that same year. When we came to Michigan, we lived with my Auntie Candi Tate Davenport and Uncle Mike Davenport while my dad was getting settled into his new job and finding a house for us.  As a toddler in early 1995, me and my family moved to Jackson, Michigan. We found a nice-looking 2-story suburban home. The basement of that home has been the ORIGINAL headquarters of Michael Igafo-Te'o Film Productions since 2007. I was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years of age. 

 

In 2005, I discovered "Wallace and Gromit" starting with their feature film entitled "Wallace and Gromit - The Curse of The Were-Rabbit". Since then, I have been involved with the "Wallace and Gromit" style of claymation as my one of my hobbies besides that of Model Railroading. I really did enjoy the "Walt Disney Imagineering" and "Chuck E. Cheese" styles of Audio-Animatronic theater shows but my mainstay favorite hobby of all time is the "Disney" style of traditional hand-drawn animation. 

 

On January 5, 2007, after a successful internet release of my first paperless animated screen test entitled "I Like Mice" that I animated using "Toon Boom Studio" software (a few-second silent color quickie with Bancy's double-in-one ancestors, Ralphie and Nicky), Michael Igafo-Te'o Film Productions was established in Michael's "studio basement pad" under its first (former) name known as "Studio Iggy". I received my own 10-Field Starter Kit (from Light Foot) on my Lucky 13th Birthday on September 9, 2007. In early January 2008, I began inking and painting cels from scratch (like the Ink & Paint team at the Disney Feature Animation Florida unit at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida) after I received my first batch of Cartoon Colour Company's top-quality "Cel-Vinyl" acrylics on Christmas 2007 along with a box of clear transparency sheets called "animation cels", (Celluloid Acetate .005) superfine permanent markers and acrylic/watercolor-friendly paintbrushes. 

 

In August 2009, me and my young sister, Melody Igafo-Te'o, were commissioned by The Disney Channel to star in a "straight-to-television" mini-short film entitled "The Time I... Realized My Brother was Different" then, after a lot of post-production, the little TV short premiered on The Disney Channel in November 2009!   

 

Also, in October 2010, I fell in love with (and went on dates with) my fiancé, which is actually a female Traverse City citizen with Autism, named Hannah Garcia. Her Facebook ID is really "Savannah Garcia" but I still love her for many reasons for animator's sake! (see picture of Michael Igafo-Te'o and "Savannah" Garcia to your right)

 

As of early July 2014, after the studio's 2nd (former name) "Michael Igafo-Te'o Animation Film Studio" being PERMANENTLY changed to "Michael Igafo-Te'o Film Productions" after being inspired by the late Chuck Jones, I've been busy working on other film projects ranging from my own "Talking Plushie" home movies and Clay Animated "Cuddlebunny" Screen Tests to Inking and Painting Animation Cels from Scratch and, as of Late October 2014, I'm VERY BUSY doing some social networking via Facebook and Twitter along with gaming on my "FarmVille 2" online app (and its "iTunes App" version, "FarmVille 2 - Country Escape" which "Country Escape" is suitable for iPads and, yes, iPhones plus any other smartphone and any other tablet) Planning to Work Hard on My Debut Traditionally Animated Theatrical Short Film Series Project which is the one on The "Bancy and Company" Cartoons in order for me to make up for The Original Disney Animators' animation careers in Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation, someday in the future, I'll work (and work and work) on the first few episodes of The "Bancy and Company" Cartoon Series, this time, with distribution gauranteed by the Disney Studios. (or some other major studio like Sony or 20th Century Fox Studios or Warner Bros. or DreamWorks Animation SKG?)

 

 

Also, Here Are My Quotes! --

QUOTE No. 1 - "My Character, Bancy McMouser, and I belive that Hanna-Barbera's "The Jetsons" cartoon was not our type of "Mixed Family/Teen Humor" but, looking on the bright side, Disney's "Phineas and Ferb" Cartoon is actually our BEST type of "Mixed Family/Teen Humor!"

 

QUOTE No. 2 - "Third Dimensional Murder, I BelIeve is The Most Dangerous, yet Computer-Generated enemy to Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation and there's no telling why that both CGI and Hand-Drawn Animation are different from each other since computer animation was developed in the 1980's".

 

QUOTE No. 3 - "To Control Your Anger, Don't Be Angry -- Be Happy, Lovable, Joyful and, yes, Better at being good!"

 

QUOTE No. 4 - "If Those with Asperger's Syndrome or Autism have trouble with eating healthy, They might try going on a gluten-free diet just in case junk food is NOT your rights of eating well".

 

 

Here Are My Best "Fun Facts" about Me and My Characters (Bancy and His Brothers, Toby Ratwaller, Mike Patterson and Michelle Finkle) on Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation! --

FUN FACT No. 1: Did You Know that The McMouser Brothers and their cousin Toby Ratwaller are actually Michael Igafo-Te'o Film Productions' very own "Mickey Mouse" clones?

 

"FUN FACT No. 2: Did You Know that The BancyTOON Teenage Human Couple, Mike Patterson and his girlfriend, Michelle Finkle, are a lovable human "animating couple" that was based on the designs of The Titular Half Ghost/Half Teenager Superhero Character of Nickelodeon Animation Studios' "Danny Phantom" and the "Candace Flynn" character from Walt Disney Television Animation's Emmy Award-winning "Phineas and Ferb"?

 

FUN FACT No. 3: Did You Know That Mike's Preteen Sister, Melanie Patterson, is a "Candace Flynn"-esq. BancyTOON Opposite of Vicky the Babysitter of the "Nicktoons" Fame?

 

FUN FACT No. 4: Originally, 'Coloring Animation' was hand-inking or photocopying animators' drawings onto clear acetate sheets called 'cels' then, as the ink is dry, the cel is painted with acrylic paint or, as of the 1947, Cartoon Colour's top quality "Cel-Vinyl Colors", following the right colors for the character/prop on a "color model guide" but, as of 1990, 'Coloring Animation' is now done through state-of-the-art technology by scanning animators' drawings into computers using a computerized animation camera table known as a "line tester camera" using special computer paint programs (including the less-inexpensive "DigiCel FlipBook" and the now popular "Toon Boom Harmony") to paint one frame of traditional animation inside the lines like in the cases of Autodesk's "SketchBook" series, "Adobe Photoshop" and, yes, other computer paint programs (including your average Windows PC's very own "MS Paint") but, on Michael's suggestions, his part in 'Coloring Animation' was using "DigiCel FlipBook" software on a Mac OS X computer after scanning the drawings onto the computer (rather Windows PC or Mac OS X)