Mark Kausler - Biography

   Mark Kausler grew up watching "Scrappy", "Krazy Kat", "Flip the Frog", "Betty Boop", "Ko-Ko the Clown", "Felix the Cat", "Tom and Jerry", "Casper" and "The Mickey Mouse Club" on his father's television and in theaters. He started animating his own characters from the age of eight, making about twelve different animated 8mm cartoons until high school graduation. In two years as a fine arts major at the Kansas City Art Institute, he almost lost sight of animation until the irresistible lure of California cartoon culture drew him to Los Angeles.

   He received the Bobe Cannon scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute and graduated in 1970. He was lucky enough to work on "Yellow Submarine", "Shinbone Alley" and numerous commercials and special projects. Riding out many boom and bust cycles in the business, a dream of making fine short cartoons featuring 1920's pop recordings formed at the back of his mind. During a lull on Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", what became Scene three of "It's The Cat" started to come to life on Mark's drawing board. Through "Oliver and Company", "Prince and the Pauper", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "The Lion King", "Fantasia 2000" and "Osmosis Jones", the Cat waited patiently for Mark to complete each new scene.

   Mark has now completed "It's The Cat" with the invaluable assistance of producer Greg Ford, and is working on another three minute cartoon with the working title of "There Must Be Somebody Else". He also loves to paint watercolors outdoors with his wife, Cathy.