Shannon Tindle on Ultraman, Lost Boys, and Animating the World of John Wick (Ep. 350)

Animation writer-director Shannon Tindle joins Drew Taylor for a wide-ranging conversation about breaking into animation, developing new projects, and navigating Hollywood’s ever-changing animation landscape. Shannon reflects on his career from CalArts to DreamWorks and beyond, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from Ultraman Rising, Kubo and the Two Strings, and projects that never made it to the screen. He also discusses his upcoming animated John Wick prequel and how animation opens creative possibilities that live action can’t.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Shannon Tindle discusses how artists today can break into animation from anywhere in the world thanks to digital portfolios, social media, and global collaboration.

• The evolution from analog portfolios and paper storyboards to Cintiq tablets and fully digital pipelines - and how that shift changed how animation talent gets discovered.

• Shannon shares details about his unproduced Disney animated series inspired by The Haunted Mansion, which would have followed a young girl tracking down escaped ghosts from the attraction’s famous “999 happy haunts.”

• A second Disney concept explored a modern take on the Lost Boys from Peter Pan, imagining a diverse group of kids in today’s world and a girl challenging the group’s “no girls allowed” rule.

• Behind-the-scenes insights into developing Ultraman Rising, including how the project began as an original concept before becoming an official Ultraman film and how Japanese fans reacted to the finished movie.

• Shannon explains how his upcoming animated John Wick project will expand the franchise with stylized action sequences impossible in live action while also exploring the emotional origin story of John and Helen.

• The creative challenge of balancing large-scale action with quiet character moments - something Shannon sees as essential to preserving the tone that makes the John Wick films work.

• Stories from Shannon’s time at DreamWorks working alongside artists like Nico Marlet, Carlos Grangel, and Tony Siruno, and how collaborative studio environments sharpen artists’ skills.

HOSTS

• Drew Taylor - IG: @drewtailored | X: @DrewTailored | Website: drewtaylor.work

GUEST

• Shannon Tindle - IG: @shannon_tindle

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SUPPORT

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey
Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency

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