Freddie Moore is his favorite animator. The Disney animator in the late 1930s created the version of Mickey Mouse that is still remembered and loved today.
"Moore really created what we see as the 'Disney style' of drawing cartoon characters. He brought many of the most beloved characters to life and inspired generations of future animators including me,"Bancroft says.
The various types of animation and a focus specifically on music illustrate his creation style.
"Music can be technical and it can be creative. I use music as a way of thinking about my timing in my animation. Music is about notes, some are held longer and some are short and quick. That is true for the pacing of my animation. Some shots are long and contemplative and others are short and active. Blending those beats together makes for an interesting pacing for the movie that moves with the rhythms of music," he says.
In 2001, Bancroft founded Toonacious Family Entertainment with two of his partners as executive vice-president for creative production. In 2003, he was the voice director of the English language version of the Hayao Miyazaki film Porco Rosso through Walt Disney Studios. In 2019, Bancroft voice directed the animated feature Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs.
Bancroft could not define his style on his own perhaps, but anime lovers would easily spot his influence whenever given one without specifying Bancroft's name. "My friends will know that I draw it when they see the picture. But I don't think my style is that obvious. The subtle uniqueness of the style is not determined by what style you choose to learn. Everything still depends on the creativity of the individual," Bancroft says.
Bancroft believes the transmission of information brings about the diversity and selectivity of styles, and each style has its own audience. The development of the internet has accelerated the spread and allowed more people to discover themselves and their preferences, rather than being a "forced" audience of a single style without a choice.
"I love to give back from my experiences in animation to the future generations, through Chinese social media. I feel like I can give back to a generation of cultural and technology influencers who are just as interested in creating entertainment as anyone on the world. I am also fascinated to see new stories come from the Gen-Zers about their culture's past and present," he says.
Each style has its own unique charm. He always maintains an attitude of appreciation and learning in the collision of styles. Every artist has his own style, and blindly pursuing a certain style is the imprisonment of ideas and creativity. And he hopes to see more diverse styles of works in the making.
