L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, animator Phil Roman, and numerous friends, family, and industry colleagues of Phil Roman will be attending Monday, December 22, 2025 at 11am, the unveiling and dedication ceremony, renaming an intersection in Toluca Lake for legendary animator Phil Roman.

WHERE: 10000 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, CA 91602 (Southwest corner of Riverside Dr. and Ponca Ave.)

WHY: In honor of his 95th birthday, the City of Los Angeles is honoring Phil Roman by renaming an intersection at the site of his historic animation studio.

Phil Roman Square honors a trailblazing Angeleno whose creative vision helped define modern animation and elevate Los Angeles as the capital of the entertainment industry. Roman’s work not only brought joy to generations of audience across generations, but also created thousands of good-paying creative jobs and opened doors for Latino artists and storytellers in Hollywood. This designation recognizes his lasting cultural, economic, and artistic impact on the city, and ensures that his legacy as a pioneer, mentor, and innovator in animation is permanently celebrated in the public fabric of Los Angeles. 

BACKGROUND: Six-time Emmy Award-winner Phil Roman is a pioneering Mexican American animator, director and producer whose career shaped television and and feature animation for more than five decades, while opening doors for Latinos in the entertainment industry.

He worked with Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Chuck Jones, Jay Ward, and Bill Melendez, as an animator, director or producer of animated classics such as Sleeping Beauty, The Peanuts specials, The Lord of the Rings, and Garfield.

In 1984, Roman founded Film Roman, Inc., which became one of the most influential animation studios in television history, producing and/or directing celebrated series including The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Garfield and Friends, Bobby’s World, The Critic, and numerous Emmy-winning animated specials. 

Now in his tenth decade, Roman has received widespread recognition for both his creative achievements and his advocacy for the animation community, leaving a lasting legacy in American animation and popular culture.

Congratulations, Phil. It’s a way-overdue and well deserved honor.