Twin brothers Paul and Gaetan Brizzi were born into an Italian family in 1951. Raised in Paris, they studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Decoratifs, which brought together their passions for fine art and cinema.
In 1974, their first short "UN" was acclaimed by the critics and perceived as a revelation of the genre by the press. Winners of the Ministry of French Culture's prestigious "Prix De Rome" in 1976, they resided at the Villa Medici in Rome for two consecutive years and directed their second short, "FRACTURE," winner of several awards at European festivals for animation.
Their third short was nominated for a French "Cesar" (the equivalent of the American Oscar). Paul and Gaetan then founded their own animation production studio, which they ran until 1984 while continuing to pursue their personal art.
Paul and Gaetan's reputation encouraged Roman Polanski to contact them to draw the storyboards for his movie "Pirates." The twins then directed their first feature movie "Asterix et la Surprise de César," an adaptation of the beloved French comic book by Uderzo. In 1986, they launched BRIZZI FILMS and produced animated TV shows. The Ministry of French Culture decorated them with the title of "Chevaliers de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres," a most prestigious honor that France attributes to its best artists annually.
They sold their studio to Disney, and in 1994 moved to Los Angeles to work at the Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio. where they directed sequences of "Hunchback of Notre Dame."
Roy Disney, Walt's nephew, trusting the two brothers' sense for the grandiose, gave them the direction of the final sequence of Fantasia 2000. With Stravinsky's music for "The Firebird Suite," the Brizzi Brothers created a tale of a forest destroyed by a volcano and then reborn out of the ashes. The press unanimously acclaimed the piece and its exceptional artistic and poetic qualities.
The brothers went on to continue their career with Dreamworks and Sony, working on films such as "Surf's Up," "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "Hotel Transylvania," "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas," and "Flushed Away" among others.
In 2001, Paul and Gaetan left the big studios to concentrate on their personal projects, including fine art and illustration.
They decided to dedicate their talents and imagination to illustrating a literary masterpiece: the “Orlando Furioso” by the 15th century Italian poet, Ludovico Ariosto. The forty-six acts became forty-six pencil drawings, and were shown for the first time at the Italian Institute of Culture in Los Angeles. The exhibit went on to be shown in Lugano, Switzerland, and in Florence, Italy.
In September 2006, they develop a rock Opera project based on the songs of The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger supported the idea with great enthusiasm, and Luc Besson decided to produce it. The two celebrities disagreeing about the script, the project was ultimately abandoned to the brothers' dismay.
Rekindling the fire ignited in them by the "Orlando furioso," the two brothers carried on to produce a new collection of drawings representing spectacular scenes from the great masterpieces of the most famous Operas. The illustrations were shown and sold at the Gallery Daniel Maghen in Paris.
In 2013, they paused to return to animation, dedicating themselves to producing the storyboard of a feature directed by Roger Allers and produced by Salma Hayek, "The Prophet," an adaptation of the famous novel by Khalil Gibran. They also directed one of the segments of the movie, titled "On Death."
In 2014, the publishing company Futuropolis published their first graphic Novel, "La Cavale du Dr. Destouches" (Dr. Destouche’s run), a story written by the French actor Christophe Malavoix and inspired by the life of the famous but controversial writer, Céline. While a challenge to the brothers, the result went widely acclaimed by press on an international scale.
In 2016, their passion for drawing pushed them to produce new illustrations for Daniel Maghen. A new exhibit titled "Legend" came together, inspired by great historical and mythical figures and events.
From that point on, the Brizzi Brothers have dedicated the vast majority of their collaborative efforts in producing joint graphic novels, for which they have received nationwide acclaim in France and the United States, including from mainstream press. These novels include "Le Fantome de L'Opera," "Don Quichotte De la Manche," "Double Assassinat dans la Rue Morgue," "La Chute de la Maison Usher," "L'Enfer De Dante" (2023), "Les Contes Drolatiques" (2021), "L'Écume Des Jours" (2020), "Autumn In Peking" (2017), and "La Cavale Du Dr Destouches" (2015).
The Brizzi Brothers are currently working on their next graphic novel, "Macbeth," inspired by the tragedy by William Shakespeare.