Alan Smart

Alan Smart has been involved in animating some of the most popular and acclaimed shows on the air throughout the 1990s and 2000s. His work in animation departments began in 1987, as the principal assistant animator on an episode of the Steven Spielberg-produced anthology series "Amazing Stories." This quickly led to a job as assistant animator on the following year's "The Chipmunk Adventure," and the Disney feature hit "The Little Mermaid" in 1989. Smart returned to television in 1990 as a layout artist on both the venerable animated series "The Simpsons" and the Jon Lovitz-voiced "The Critic." But his most notable work was for Nickelodeon, as he worked on the vast majority of the network's animated programs, such as "The Ren & Stimpy Show," "Rugrats," and "Rocko's Modern Life." Smart also worked on more adult-oriented shows, including the salacious "Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man" for the USA Network. His focus during the 2000s has been on another of Nickelodeon's original cartoons, "SpongeBob SquarePants," earning multiple Emmy nominations for his work as animation director on the wildly popular show about the quirky aquatic life of Bikini Bottom.