Pres Romanillos was a highly regarded animator at Disney and Dreamworks. He animated Pocahontas and Shan-Yu (the villain in Mulan) and Little Creek (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron).
“Pres Romanillos was an admirable artist who loved and understood so well the characters of his favorite subjects: Animals. His drawings give them spirit, charm and personality, and spread love and respect for our terrestrial companions.” -Frédéric Back.
This sketchbook was conceived by his widow Jeannine Romanillos and reproduces artwork from Pres' sketchpads and sketchbooks: life drawings, horse and animal studies, Disney character drawings, travel sketches, and a sampling of his personal cartoons and drawings. It includes a short biography of the artist written by Charles Solomon and a page of Pres' notes from a 1993 lecture by Glen Keane.
From Jeannine Romanillos' Introduction:
"For Pres’ Life Celebration we put together a story board full of his personal sketches, drawings and ideas for little films he would have loved to see animated. He could breathe life into things he conjured up out of thin air, give it weight, personality, a story. So, I was not surprised about the strong reaction people had to the things he had done and...had only shared with very close friends. At the suggestion of one of them, the idea for a sketchbook formed and now with this, has taken shape. With it, I can share Pres’ spirit, compassion and endless passion for taking things out of his head and putting them onto paper."