Tonko House is a Berkeley based studio founded in 2014. Our objective is to inspire curiosity through stories that deliver entertainment and awareness for people of all ages.
Who We Are
In 2012 Pixar art directors Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo wanted to expand their filmmaking experience. They decided to write and direct an independent animated short film together. The result was The Dam Keeper, a beautiful and emotional 18-minute film that earned an Academy Award nomination. The experience of making the film was life-changing for the two artists. They questioned the path they were on and searched for answers to their deepest ambitions and dreams. In 2014, they founded Tonko House to continue their artistic journey and share their stories with the world.
Dice Tsutsumi
東Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, originally from Japan, is a filmmaker and painter. 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. After the success of Dice’s directorial debut, the Academy Award nominated short film The Dam Keeper, Dice left Pixar to co-found Tonko House Inc. with Robert Kondo. Dice is passionate about charity work and spearheaded both The Totoro Forest Project and Sketchtravel and in 2021 was recognized for his charitable contribution to the animation community with the June Foray Award.
Robert Kondo
Robert Kondo is co-founder and president of Tonko House, a San Francisco bay area based studio focused on creating animated narrative content. Formerly an art director at Pixar Animation Studios on films such as Ratatouille and Toy Story 3, he lends his unique design sensibilities and passion for storytelling as co-director of the Academy-nominated short film, The Dam Keeper. Originally from Southern California, Robert graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena as an illustrator. Robert took on the roles of both executive producer and production designer of Tonko House’s highly anticipated event series ONI: Thunder God’s Tale. He’s currently writing and illustrating Curiosities, a bedtime read-aloud book in partnership with First Second Books.
