Beginnings Both Brandt and Cervone started their careers in 1991. Brandt got his start in animation at
StarToons, a prominent animation studio located in
Chicago. John McClenahan, the founder of StarToons, had worked previously for studios such as
Hanna-Barbera. McClenahan hired Brandt because the studio needed some help animating episodes of
Tiny Toon Adventures for
Warner Bros. Brandt stayed for three years at StarToons, where he also worked on Warner Bros. shows like
Taz-Mania and
Animaniacs. It was during their shared tenure at StarToons that Brandt met fellow animator Tony Cervone, with them both serving as animation directors on
Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights.
Projects with Warner Bros. The duo would go on to write, direct, and produce several projects for Warner Bros. starting in 1994, both together and solo. The Brandt-Cervone formula has proven to consist of revamping classic cartoon characters and series for contemporary audiences without compromising their original appeal. They wrote, directed, and produced all episodes on
Duck Dodgers (a re-imagining of a classic
Daffy Duck segment) which aired from 2003 to 2005. Likewise, they were the developers, directors, and supervising producers of both
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and
The Looney Tunes Show. They developed the two shows alongside Mitch Watson in the former, and Sam Register in the latter. Brandt and Cervone would direct several
Tom and Jerry direct-to-video films such as
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale and
Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse, also with other films having crossovers with the duo such as
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and
Sherlock Holmes. Brandt would also co-direct the 2005 short
The Karate Guard alongside
Tom and Jerry co-creator,
Joseph Barbera. It was the last
Tom and Jerry cartoon with Barbera’s involvement before his death on December 18, 2006, one year after the short aired in theatres. Brandt would provide the voices of
Spike the Bulldog and also voiced
the titular title characters, despite being uncredited for the latter roles. The duo also produced and directed several
Scooby-Doo projects, including the straight-to-video films
Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo and
Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery. In 2018, Brandt directed the animation for an episode of
Supernatural, which was a crossover with the characters of
Scooby-Doo titled
Scoobynatural. Cervone also directed several
State Farm commercials featuring the
Scooby-Doo characters. Cervone served as the animation director for the 1996 film,
Space Jam while Brandt became animation director on its sequel,
Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021. Cervone went on to make his
feature directorial debut with
Scoob!, a film based on the
Scooby-Doo franchise and was the first film of an
Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe. He also provided the voice of a ghost and Mr. Rigby. It was released in 2020 and received mixed reviews. In 2021, Cervone announced that a sequel to the film was in development. The film,
Scoob! Holiday Haunt, was set for release in December 2022 but was cancelled by
Warner Bros. Discovery citing cost-cutting measures and a refocus on theatrical films rather than creating projects for streaming. Despite it being cancelled, it was eventually finished. Cervone also served as a consultant for
Tom & Jerry. == Personal life ==