Tom Ruegger is an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and lyricist. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created Animaniacs, Qiz Comet, Histeria!, The Toontails and Animated Night.
Early life and career[]
Ruegger was raised in Metuchen, New Jersey. During his childhood, he made drawings of The Flintstones when it aired. He graduated from Metuchen High School in 1972.
In 1976, he made his first cartoon, called The Premiere of Platypus Duck, while he was a student at Dartmouth College. Shortly after graduation from Dartmouth that year, he moved to Los Angeles to become an animator. Ruegger began his career at Filmation, writing for Gilligan's Planet. He soon after joined Hanna-Barbera, writing and producing various animated series, most notably Snorks, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Pound Puppies, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. He also wrote one episode of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
In 1989, he began working alongside Jean MacCurdy and Steven Spielberg at Warner Bros. Animation to create and produce several animated series, including Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Cartoon Insanity, Histeria, Batman: The Animated Series, The Plucky Duck Show, Freakazoid, Taz-Mania and Road Rovers.
In 1998, Ruegger began working for Walt Disney Television Animation, where he created The Toontails and Magic Rejects for the Disney Channel, which both later become a huge success for the network while the former become Disney Channel's longest-running animated series. In 2004, while working on The Toontails Movie at the time, Ruegger started Tom Ruegger Production, a full-service animation studio. After The Toontails Movie was completed, Ruegger wanted to end the series "so it wouldn't jump the shark". However, Disney Channel desired more episodes. As a result, Ruegger resigned as the series' showrunner, appointing writer Jared Bush to succeed him. In 2006, Ruegger began developing, story-editing and serving as executive producer on the 40-episode animated series Animalia, based on the picture book by Graeme Base. Along with Nicholas Hollander, he developed and story-edited another animated series entitled Sushi Pack.
In 2011, Ruegger later return to Disney Television Animation, where he executive produced 40 half-hours of The 7D, a comedy based on the seven Dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In 2016, after The 7D ended, Ruegger returned to The Toontails following the completion of the second film as an executive producer, having greater creative input and attending crew meetings.
Ruegger has received fourteen Emmy Awards for his work in animation.
Personal life[]
Ruegger married voice actress Adrienne Alexander in 1983; they have three sons together, Nathan, Luke and Cody. The couple divorced in 2004. In 2006, he married marathon runner Annie Malley, and they reside near Los Angeles, California. Nathan and Luke have become voice actors. Nathan voiced the baby version of Plucky Duck on Tiny Toon Adventures, Skippy Squirrel on Animaniacs and Froggo on Histeria, where Luke provided the voice for the Flame and Bumpo Basset on Animaniacs and Big Fat Baby on Histeria. Cody performed the voice of Little Blue Bird on Animaniacs and Loud Kiddington on Histeria. Ruegger's sons also are the primary inspiration behind the main characters in Animaniacs, Yakko, Wakko and Dot.
As of 2017, Cody is serving as an attorney in New York City, while Nathan and Luke have careers in film and television in Los Angeles.
Ruegger himself also made occasional cameos on his shows in caricature form, most notably as the recurring character of director Cooper DeVille in Tiny Toon Adventures.
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1976 | The Premiere of Platypus Duck | Director |
1985 | Pound Puppies | Writer |
1988 | The Good, the Bad, and Huckleberry Hound | Writer, Lyricist |
1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation | Writer, Producer, Lyricist |
1993 | Batman: Mask of the Phantasm | Executive Producer |
1998 | To My Guest | Story, Producer, Lyricist |
1999 | Magicland | Story, Special Thanks |
Wakko's Wish | Writer, Producer, Director, Lyricist | |
2002 | Box-Office Toon | Writer, Producer, Director |
Darktown: Rise of the Witches | Executive Producer | |
2005 | The Toontails Movie | Writer, Producer, Director, Lyricist |
Metro Cone | Special Thanks | |
2006 | Destiny 3000 | Executive Producer |
2007 | Mystica II | Special Thanks |
Zack Movie | ||
2008 | Metro Cone 2 | Executive Producer |
2009 | Magic Tree House | Special Thanks |
2010 | Mystica III | Executive Producer |
2011 | Metro Cone 3: The Mystery to New York | |
The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle | Writer, Executive Producer | |
2012 | Tales | Story, Special Thanks |
2016 | The Toontails Movie: Getting Real in Fabulous 3D! | Writer, Story, Executive Producer |
2017 | The Toontails: Star Wars | Writer, Executive Producer |
Qiz Comet | Writer, Executive Producer | |
2018 | The Toontails + Animaniacs: Zany to the Mayhem | Writer, Producer, Lyricist |
2021 | Qiz Comet 2 | Writer, Executive Producer |
2022 | The Toontails: The Great Toon Caper | Writer, Executive Producer, Lyricist |
Return to Darktown | Executive Producer | |
2025 | Animaniacs | Executive Producer |
TV[]
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1978 | Jana of the Jungle | Animator |
1978–1979 | Godzilla | |
1979 | The New Fred and Barney Show | |
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | ||
Casper and the Angels | ||
Super Friends | ||
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle | Writer | |
1980 | The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour | |
1980–1981 | Sport Billy | |
1981 | Hero High | |
The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! | ||
Blackstar | ||
1982 | Flash Gordon | |
Gilligan's Planet | ||
Shirt Tales | ||
The Gary Coleman Show | ||
1983 | The Dukes | |
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | ||
1983–1984 | The New Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show/The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries | Developer, Writer, Story Editor, Co-Producer |
1984 | Challenge of the GoBots | Story, Story Editor |
Snorks | Story | |
1985 | The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo | Developer, Story, Story Editor, Executive & Associate Producer |
1985–1988 | Yogi's Treasure Hunt | Writer, Story Editor |
1986–1987 | Pound Puppies | |
1988 | A Pup Named Scooby-Doo | Developer, Writer, Producer, Storyboard Artist, Title Card Designer, Lyricist, Story |
1990–1992; 1994; 1995 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Senior Producer, Story Editor, Lyricist |
1991–1995 | Taz-Mania | Executive Producer, Developer |
1991–2002 | Tales in the Darktown | Writer, Executive Producer |
1992–1995 | Batman: The Animated Series | Writer, Executive Producer, Story, Story Editor |
1992 | The Plucky Duck Show | Story, Writer, Producer |
1993–1998 | Animaniacs | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Senior Producer, Story Editor, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
1994–1998 | Life n' Toons: The Series | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Senior Producer, Story Editor, Lyricist |
1995–1997 | Freakazoid! | Writer, Developer, Senior Producer |
1995–1998 | Pinky and the Brain | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Senior Producer, Story Editor, Lyricist |
1996–1997 | Road Rovers | Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Composer |
1996–1999 | Rocky and Bonnie: Master Detectives | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Senior Producer, Story Editor, Lyricist |
1997–2001 | WB Princess | |
1998–2000 | Histeria! | Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Character Designer, Lyricist |
1999–2005 | Qiz Comet | Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Character Designer |
1998–1999 | Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain | Writer, Senior Producer |
1999–2002 | Hello, My Guest! | Writer, Developer, Producer, Lyricist |
2000–present | The Toontails | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Executive Producer, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
2000 | Batman Beyond | Story |
2002–2005 | Magic Rejects | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Executive Producer, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
2002–present | Animated Night | Creator, Writer, Producer, Lyricist |
2003–2007 | Happy Dog & Smart Cat | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Executive Producer, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
2004 | Duck Dodgers | Writer, Story (Episode: Of Course You Know, This Means War and Peace) |
2004–2009 | Two-Tone Town | Writer, Developer, Executive Producer |
2005 | Loonatics Unleashed | Creative Consultant |
2005–2011 | Animaniacs | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Executive Producer, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
2006–2012 | Amiya's Wicked Tales | Writer, Developer, Executive Producer |
2007–2014 | Toon Festival | Director, Producer, Writer, Voice Actor |
2007 | Sushi Pack | Writer, Creator, Executive Producer |
2007–2008 | Animalia | Developer, Story Editor, Executive Producer, Writer |
2008–2015 | Hello, Serenity! | Executive Producer |
2009–2014 | The Angel Princess | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Executive Producer |
2010; 2014; 2018 | Nostalgia Critic | Special Guest Star, Writer, Lyricist |
2013 | Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures | Writer, Developer |
2013–2018 | Life in Toontown | Executive Producer, Writer, Voice Actor |
2014–2016 | The 7D | Executive Producer, Writer, Composer, Story |
2018–2023 | Qiz Comet | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
2019–2023 | The Really Odd Adventures with Lana & Sarah | |
2020–2023 | RandomToons: Tooning In! | Director |
2022–present | Toon Toon: Toontails' Academy Years | Creator, Writer, Story, Producer, Lyricist, Voice Actor |
Licker's Nightly Talk Show | ||
2023–present | The Wacky World of Disney | Developer, Writer, Story, Executive Producer |