Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi

Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi (堤大介; born November 6, 1974) is a Japanese animator and illustrator living in San Francisco, California. He is a former color key artist at Blue Sky Studios and art director at Pixar. Together with Robert Kondo, he founded the indie animation studio Tonko House in 2014. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, he is married to Mei Okuyama (奥山芽以), a jewelry artist and the niece of acclaimed anime director Hayao Miyazaki. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York, he left Pixar to focus on independent animation. In 2014, he co-directed The Dam Keeper which was nominated for an Oscar for short animated film. He most recently directed the short film Bottle George, based on the original story by Akihiro Nishino, which premiered at the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival.

Works

Bottle George

The short explores the relationship between George, a man trapped inside a small bottle, and Chako, a young girl who is scared of her alcoholic father. She is poor, but resilient, and she lives with her cat.

Release Date: 2024-04-27

Department: Directing

Job: Director

ONI: Thunder God's Tale

In a mystical world of Japanese gods and spirits, a courageous girl strives to follow in her mysterious father's footsteps and find her true powers.

Release Date: 2022-10-21

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 32

The Pig, the Fox, and the Mill

Pig lives at the top of a hill in a town surrounded by a destructive, dark cloud. Before Pig’s father leaves to find a solution to the cloud, he builds Pig a small wooden dam to protect him and the town. The dam’s windmill keeps the cloud at bay, and Pig now has the responsibility to care for the dam. Young and alone, Pig finds love and family through his friendship with Fox, and continues to care for the townsfolk in a variety of ways. However, Pig struggles with the absence of his father, and his desire to search for his father competes with his need to keep the town safe.

Release Date: 2019-03-06

Department: Writing

Job: Story

Vote Count: 3

Moom

Every forgotten object has a memory with its previous owner still attached. This is a story of Moom, one of those memories stuck in this world. One day, Moom meets another memory just like him.

Release Date: 2016-05-03

Department: Directing

Job: Director

The Dam Keeper

In a desolate future, one small town has survived because of a large windmill dam that acts as a fan to keep out pollution. The dam's operator, Pig, works tirelessly to keep the sails spinning and protect the town, despite abuse from classmates and an indifferent public. When a new student joins Pig's class, nothing will be the same again.

Release Date: 2014-02-06

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 42

Monsters University

A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University — when they weren't necessarily the best of friends.

Release Date: 2013-06-19

Department: Art

Job: Art Direction

Vote Count: 10714

Cars 2

Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Release Date: 2011-06-11

Character: Additional Voices (voice)

Vote Count: 7886

Toy Story 3

Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys haven't been played with in years. With Andy about to go to college, the gang find themselves accidentally left at a nefarious day care center. The toys must band together to escape and return home to Andy.

Release Date: 2010-06-16

Department: Art

Job: Art Direction

Vote Count: 14833

Ice Age

With the impending ice age almost upon them, a mismatched trio of prehistoric critters – Manny the woolly mammoth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger and Sid the giant sloth – find an orphaned infant and decide to return it to its human parents. Along the way, the unlikely allies become friends but, when enemies attack, their quest takes on far nobler aims.

Release Date: 2002-03-10

Department: Visual Effects

Job: Matte Painter

Vote Count: 13439