Lauren Faust
Biography
Biography
Animator Lauren Faust became a star in her field by working in the bright, colorful world of "My Little Pony." But instead of writing sweet, syrupy stories that only appealed to young girls, Faust worked hard to elevate the genre, and make it appealing to as many people as possible, which has earned her a following among animation fans and "Bronies," the modern day fans of Faust's signature series "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic."
Born July 25, 1974 in Annapolis, Maryland, Faust attended the California Institute of Arts, from 1992 to 1994. Faust started out as a layout artist at Rough Draft Studios, then went to Turner Feature Animation for two years, then Warner Bros Feature Animation for another two years. Next Faust landed at Cartoon Network in 1999 as a storyboard artist and writer, working for the company for four years, moving up to a supervising producer and story supervisor position. During this period, Faust also worked on the animated features "Cats Don't Dance" (1997), "Quest For Camelot" (1998), and "The Iron Giant" (1999). In the new millennium, Faust went into TV animation with "The Powerpuff Girls" (Cartoon Network 1998-2005), "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" (Cartoon Network 2004-09), "Super Best Friends Forever" (Cartoon Network 2012), "Wander Over Yonder" (Disney 2013-16), and the show that earned her a fan following, "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" (Hub 2010- ). Faust is also married to Craig McCracken, who created "The Powerpuff Girls," "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends," and "Wander Over Yonder."
"My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" became infamous for a certain subset of the show's fans. Bronies were not the young girls the series had been expected to attract, but teenagers and adults (despite the nickname, both male and female) attracted to the show's unexpectedly clever plots and intelligent humor. Faust became a hero to Bronies, and she was also a producer on the documentary "Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony" (2013). As an animator, Faust worked hard to evolve the "My Little Pony" franchise, transforming what was originally a fluffy show for girls into a non-patronizing, smart, funny and warm show for a wider audience that was more than happy to embrace it.