Early life
McCorkle attended Temple University, where he met Bob Schooley.2 The two later worked together as entertainment managers at Sesame Place, the amusement park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, an experience that cemented a creative partnership that would span decades.2 Both McCorkle and Schooley subsequently broke into animation by working in the mailroom at DIC Entertainment, the production company behind The Real Ghostbusters.2
Career
After establishing himself through entry-level work at DIC, McCorkle moved into staff writing on animated series in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Early credits include two episodes of C.O.P.S. (1988), seven episodes of New Kids on the Block (1990), and four episodes of Swamp Thing (1991).3
McCorkle and Schooley then transitioned to Walt Disney Television Animation, where McCorkle served as story editor on Disney's Aladdin: The Series (1994-1995, 28 episodes). The pair also co-wrote the direct-to-video Disney sequels The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride during this period.4 Further Disney series work followed with Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-2002).4
McCorkle and Schooley co-created Kim Possible in 2002 for Disney Channel.1 The concept originated when McCorkle said to Schooley, "Kim Possible, she can do anything!"1 Disney Channel had recruited the pair to develop an animated series capable of attracting both younger and older audiences; the result was a show about a teenage action hero and her less-competent sidekick Ron Stoppable. McCorkle and Schooley served as co-creators, executive producers, writers, and story editors for the series' full run from 2002 to 2007, and executive produced both TV movies: A Sitch in Time and So the Drama.1 Kim Possible earned Primetime Emmy recognition during its run.1
Other film credits for McCorkle and Schooley include Sky High (2005) and Hotel for Dogs (2009).4 On the television side, further work followed with The Penguins of Madagascar (2009-2011, 7 episodes) and Big Hero 6: The Series (2017-2021), which the pair co-developed and executive produced for Disney.4
In December 2021, McCorkle and Schooley received the WGA West's Animation Writers Caucus Animation Writing Award for their body of work on Kim Possible,2 joining past honorees including Brad Bird, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, and Mike Judge.5 In 2007, the two co-authored a novel titled Liar of Kudzu.6
Ghostbusters
McCorkle's first animation industry foothold came at DIC Entertainment, the company producing The Real Ghostbusters. He served as Recording Assistant across Seasons 4 and 5 of The Real Ghostbusters and on the companion Slimer! series, with his Season 5 credit excluding the episode "The Halloween Door." He also received a Talent Coordinator credit during Season 5.
In addition to his crew role, McCorkle co-wrote one Real Ghostbusters episode with Bob Schooley: "Busters in Toyland" (aired December 15, 1990).7 The episode centers on a demon trapped inside an ancient cuckoo clock who kidnaps a child named Lawrence from his birthday party, drawing the Ghostbusters into a dimensional portal. It served as the first writing credit for both men on the series.
Season-by-season credits on The Real Ghostbusters:
- Recording Assistant: Slimer!, Season 4, Season 5 (excluding "The Halloween Door")
- Talent Coordinator: Season 5
- Writer: "Busters in Toyland" (co-written with Bob Schooley)
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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"Kim Possible," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Possible.
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Andreeva, Nellie (December 2021). "'Kim Possible' Creators To Receive WGA West's Animation Writing Award," Deadline, https://deadline.com/2021/12/kim-possible-mark-mccorkle-bob-schooley-wga-west-animation-caucus-award-1234899693/.
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The Movie Database (TMDB), "Mark McCorkle," https://www.themoviedb.org/person/68699-mark-mccorkle, accessed 2026-06-13.
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"Mark McCorkle," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_McCorkle.
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Writers Guild of America West, "Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley: Animation Writers Caucus Animation Writing Award," https://awards.wga.org/awards/awards-recipients/special-achievement/awc/mark-mccorkle-bob-schooley, accessed 2026-06-13.
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Schooley, Bob and McCorkle, Mark (2007). Liar of Kudzu. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, New York NY USA. ISBN 9781416914884.
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Spook Central, "The Real Ghostbusters: Busters in Toyland," https://www.spookcentral.us/sclib/the-real-ghostbusters-busters-in-toyland. Season 5, Episode 12; aired December 15, 1990 on ABC. Writers: Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley.