The Dam Keeper: Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo of Tonko House

Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo of Tonko House came back to our San Francisco store on November 4th, 2017.

Based on the Oscar-nominated animated short film of the same name, The Dam Keeper is a lush, vibrantly drawn graphics novel series by animation studio Tonko House (http://www.tonkohouse.com/) co-founders Robert Kondo and Dice Tsusumi.

In early 2012, art directors Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo found themselves searching for ways to expand upon their filmmaking experience in Pixar’s art department. They decided to write and direct an independent animated short film together. The film, The Dam Keeper, was an 18-minute short that garnered an Academy Award Nomination.

About the Author:
Robert Kondo lends his unique design sensibilities and passion for storytelling to The Dam Keeper. Originally from Southern California, Robert graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and has worked at Oblique Strategies and Angel Studios. Robert's film credits include Sets Art Director for Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, and most recently Monsters University.

Daisuke 'Dice' Tsutsumi, originally from Japan, is a celebrated illustrator, painter and philanthropist. Dice's paintings have exhibited around the world, and in 2009, his first children's book 'I Can Hear' was published in Japan. A graduate from The School of Visual Arts in New York, Dice has worked as a visual development/color key artist at Blue Sky Studios on Ice Age, Robots and Horton Hears a Who! His credits at Pixar Animation include Lighting Art Director for Toy Story 3 and Monsters University. Dice is passionate about charity work and spearheaded both The Totoro Forest Project and Sketchtravel.