Chances are you’ve been a fan of Philippe Tilikete for years, you just might not realize it yet.

You can find his fingerprints all over some of the most visually iconic and culturally dominant animated franchises of our time. From Minions, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, to Despicable Me (just to name a few), Philippe’s characters are unforgettable, not just because they’re well-drawn, but because they’re deeply human, wildly expressive, and full of attitude.

Philippe isn’t just the guy behind the characters—you get the feeling he is one. Born in France and now living in Los Angeles, the frontman of the punk band Battle Flask and artist for some of the biggest studios in Hollywood, he’s equal parts creator and creation—and we’ve got a lot of questions for this full-color force of nature.

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Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the suburbs of Paris in France

Were you one of those kids that were always drawing?

Actually I drew a lot like a lot of kids but I was also into Model Kits which I didn't do much when I became a young teen and got heavily into music.

What was the path to Los Angeles?

I was in my second year of Animation school in Paris when we were recruited by Amblimation (Steven Spielberg's animation studio) in  London.

I worked in London for a year, Dreamworks was getting started in LA, at the time the animation business was booming and Dreamworks needed a whole crew to start the studio, so we were asked if we wanted to move to Los Angeles and work there. I left with a bag of clothes and a bag of CDs.

Follow your dreams! What was the biggest cultural shock when you moved from Paris to Los Angeles?

Making real friends in LA is not easy. LA has so many phoneys and people out for themselves, it's hard to find real genuine people. Don't get me wrong there are a ton of great people here but if you live in Hollywood or you work in the movie industry you got to be aware of the behavior.

On that note….You've got a real talent for honing in on the absurdities of human nature. What’s your process for keeping things original while still making characters relatable?

I think you got to observe people, their looks, personalities, behavior, in and out of their environment or comfort zone and often create characters based them.

So when people look at or watch your characters they go " oh I know that girl, I know that guy, it's my friend! " Once again it comes down to not repeat clichés that have been done a million times (unless needed). You got to try to keep it fresh!

Your characters are often bold and highly expressive. Are they drawn from people you know, or imagined archetypes?

Absolutely, they are people I know, I come across, see in the streets, the store, on TV etc... I try not be too cliché in my approach of designing and keeping away from what's been done before unless needed.

Your work feels like it straddles a line between caricature and critique. Do you find characters are sometimes a reflection on your own personal outlook on human nature. Ever take it too far?

-Yep! I am a big critique of human nature, observing the world in general, people can do the stupidest and the greatest things. Sometimes I take it far when pushing the shapes and expressions but it depends on what I am working on.

Drawing gross stuff for example can be fun. When I was at Cartoon Network I could really go crazy on pushing everything, in feature films you have to hold back a little more to appeal to a broader audience and relate to the characters. But I am never insulting or vulgar in my designs, I try to keep it fun and appealing.

Do cultural or societal trends that influence your work?

-As a designer you have to be aware of trends and what is going on culturally, so I am always influenced one way or the other whatever I like those trends or not.

Do you listen to music when you're drawing…whatcha listening to right now?

-I listen to Punk rock and Heavy Metal pretty much every day, my playlist includes, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Dead Kennedys, Cock Sparrer, AC/DC, but also newer bands like Municipal Waste, Restraining Order, the Chisel or Pest Control. Sometimes i'll pop in some Surf music, Sinatra, Elvis or old New Orleans jazz depending on my mood.

Tell us about your band!

I sing in a Punk Rock band called Battle Flask, we're very much influenced by Old school punk bands, Heavy metal or American and British Oi. We've been around since 2006 but took a long break from 2013 to 2021. We have 2 EPs, one album out and we're getting ready to record again soon. We've played a lot of shows up and down the we coast including Titmouse studio smash parties and Danny Devito's birthday party!

Battle Flask sounds wild—is there an energy shift going from performing on stage to illustration?

Well yeah!! I don't move around as much when I sit at my desk and draw! There's a good amount of thinking going when I draw, when I perform live it's more like automatic pilot with the songs. The thinking happens much more in the rehearsal space when we compose songs.

Also if I design a flyer for a show or a visual for the band the "Punk Rock" energy has to come through which is not specifically the case with drawing characters for a feature film. I usually do not draw characters for Battle Flask's visual or flyers, I use photos, fonts and textures.

What’s a project or collaboration you would jump at the chance to do—dream studio, band, or medium?

As far as movies, I would love to work on a Tiki/Island them retro looking project or a Heavy Metal/Punk Rock project.

I really like what Laika has created over the years with "Paranorman" or "Box Trolls" and it would be great to work on one their projects.

Or maybe one day collaborate with Shepard Fairey, his work is just so powerful! Creating more Skateboards, Snowboards designs or being involved with surf brands would be great, murals could be fun too.

As far as band, I am pretty happy with what we created with Battle Flask, I put 100% in that band and I don't really see myself play music with anyone else.