Frank Nissen grew up in the heart of the gold country. He developed early interests in drawing and writing. He spent his youth roaming the hills and canyons of the American River, exploring the old gold mines that peppered those slopes. After serving in the army, he worked in the animation field for forty years, doing visual and story development for projects that included “Pippi Longstockings,” as well as George Lucas’s “Droids” and “Ewoks” television series. He then spent fifteen years at Disney, doing story development for animated projects such as “Mulan” and “Tarzan.” Writing now occupies most of his energy.Frank Nissen grew up in the heart of the gold country. He developed early interests in drawing and writing. He spent his youth roaming the hills and canyons of the American River, exploring the old gold mines that peppered those slopes. After serving in the army, he worked in the animation field for forty years, doing visual and story development for projects that included “Pippi Longstockings,” as well as George Lucas’s “Droids” and “Ewoks” television series. He then spent fifteen years at Disney, doing story development for animated projects such as “Mulan” and “Tarzan.” Writing now occupies most of his energy.