Pixar Directors
All of the people who have directed a film for Pixar
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- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Although born in Hollywood, John and his twin sister Johanna were raised in Whittier near Los Angeles. His parents were Jewell Mae (Risley), an art teacher, and Paul Eual Lasseter, a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. His mother's profession contributed to his interest in animation and particularly the Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons which he would watch on television. It was when he was in High School that he realized that he could have a career in animation and he wrote to the Walt Disney Studios but nothing happened then In 1975 the Disney company started an animation course at Calarts - The California Institute of the Arts- and John, with encouragement from his mother, was one of the first to sign up. He and his class mates, who included the future animators and directors Brad Bird, and Tim Burton were taught by some of Disney's veteran animators such as Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. During his time there John produced two animated shorts - Lady and the Lamp (1979) and Nitemare (1980) - which both won the Student Academy Award for Animation. On graduating in 1979 John was taken on as an animator at the Disney Studios. In 1983, while working on Mickey's Christmas Carol some friends invited him to see some footage of Tron that they were working on using CGI and he immediately saw the potential of it to enhance animated films. John and a colleague made a short test film and satisfied with the result and full of enthusiasm started work on a feature without consulting their superiors who when they found out about it canceled it and sacked John. Having made contacts in the computer industry he was quickly taken on by Lucasfilm which was bought by Steve Jobs for $5 million with a further $5 million invested as working capital and the company renamed Pixar. John soon convinced Steve that the future lay in computer animation by bringing his desk lamp to life in the short 'Luxor Jr' which was shown at a computer graphics conference and got a standing ovation. The first computer animated feature soon followed in the form of 'Toy Story' winning John an Oscar for Special Achievement to go with one he got for Animated Short Film - Tin Toy. He's also had Oscar nominations for Animated Feature - Monster Inc and Cars, Original Screenplay -Toy Story, Animated Short Story - Luxor Jr while the short Knick Knack was selected by Terry Gilliam as one of the best 10 animated films of all time. In 2008, he was honored with the Winsor McCay Award, - the lifetime achievement award for animators. He oversees 3 animation studios - Pixar, Disney Animation and DisneyToon He spent 9 year (2005 - 2014) on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, only relinquishing his seat due to term limits. He was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood in November 2011.Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, Cars 2
Shorts: Luxo Jr., Red's Dream, Tin Toy, Knick Knack, Mater and the Ghostlight- Writer
- Producer
- Animation Department
Ash Brannon is an Emmy Award winning writer, director and visual artist. His credits include Disney/Pixar's TOY STORY (Directing Animator), and TOY STORY 2 (Co-Director, Story Co-Creator). Ash directed and co-wrote the Sony Pictures film SURF'S UP, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. At Riot Games, Ash served as a story co-creator, writer and co-executive producer on the Netflix series ARCANE.Co-Director: Toy Story 2- Additional Crew
- Editorial Department
- Editor
Lee Unkrich is an Academy Award-winning director at Pixar Animation Studios. He most recently directed Disney.Pixar's critically-acclaimed "Coco", which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Song.
As the director of Disney.Pixar's "Toy Story 3," Lee was also awarded an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Lee joined Pixar in 1994, and has played a variety of key creative roles on nearly every animated feature film made at the studio. Before co-directing the Oscar-winning "Finding Nemo," he was co-director of "Monsters, Inc." and the Golden Globe-winning "Toy Story 2."
He began his Pixar career as a film editor on "Toy Story" and was supervising film editor on "A Bug's Life." Lee also contributed his editing skills to numerous Pixar films, including his role as supervising film editor on "Finding Nemo".
In 2009 Lee and his fellow directors at Pixar were honored at the 66th Venice International Film Festival with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
Prior to joining Pixar, Lee worked in television as an editor and director. He graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema/Television in 1991.
He grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.Toy Story 3, Coco
Co-Director: Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo
Shorts: Dante's Lunch—A Short Tail- Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company's elite group of computer animation pioneers. As Vice President, Creative he currently oversees all shorts and feature projects at the studio. Stanton wrote and directed the Academy Award®-winning Disney and Pixar feature film "WALL.E," for which he also received a Best Original Screenplay Oscar®-nomination. In 2016 Stanton directed Disney and Pixar's "Finding Dory," which, upon release, became the highest-grossing domestic animated feature of all time and in 2019 Stanton served as screenwriter and executive producer of "Toy Story 4."
Stanton made his directorial debut with the record-shattering "Finding Nemo," an original story of his that he also co-wrote. The film garnered Stanton two Academy Award® nominations (Best Original Screenplay and Best Animated Film), and "Finding Nemo" was awarded an Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003, the first such honor Pixar Animation Studios received for a full-length feature film.
One of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar® nomination in 1996 for his contribution to "Toy Story," Stanton went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on every subsequent Pixar film - "A Bug's Life," "Toy Story 2," "Monsters, Inc." and "Finding Nemo." Additionally, he served as co-director on "A Bug's Life," and was the executive producer of "Monsters, Inc.," and "Monsters University," and Academy Award®-winning films "Ratatouille" and "Brave."
In addition to his multi-award winning animation work, Stanton made his live-action writing and directorial debut with Disney's "John Carter," released in March 2012.
A native of Rockport, Massachusetts, Stanton earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Character Animation from California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), where he completed two student films. In the 1980s, he launched his professional career in Los Angeles animating for Bill Kroyer's Kroyer Films studio, and writing for Ralph Bakshi's production of "Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures" (1987).Finding Nemo, Wall-E, Finding Dory
Co-Director: A Bug's Life- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Pete Docter is the Oscar®-winning director of "Monsters, Inc.," "Up," and "Inside Out," and Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Animation Studios. He is currently directing Pixar's feature film "Soul" with producer Dana Murray, which is set to release June 19, 2020.
Starting at Pixar in 1990 as the studio's third animator, Docter collaborated and help develop the story and characters for "Toy Story," Pixar's first full-length animated feature film, for which he also was supervising animator. He served as a storyboard artist on "A Bug's Life," and wrote initial story treatments for both "Toy Story 2" and "WALL.E." Aside from directing his three films, Docter also executive produced "Monsters University" and the Academy Award®-winning "Brave."
Docter's interest in animation began at the age of eight when he created his first flipbook. He studied character animation at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California, where he produced a variety of short films, one of which won a Student Academy Award®. Those films have since been shown in animation festivals worldwide and are featured on the "Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 2." Upon joining Pixar, he animated and directed several commercials, and has been nominated for eight Academy Awards® including Best Animated Feature-winners "Up" and "Inside Out" and nominee "Monsters, Inc.," and Best Original Screenplay for "Up," "Inside Out" and "WALL.E." In 2007, "Up" also was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Monsters Inc., Up, Inside Out, Soul
Shorts: Mike's New Car- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Animation Department
Phillip Bradley "Brad" Bird is an American director, screenwriter, animator, producer and occasional voice actor, known for both animated and live-action films. Bird was born in Kalispell, Montana, the youngest of four children of Marjorie A. (née Cross) and Philip Cullen Bird. His father worked in the propane business, and his grandfather, Francis Wesley "Frank" Bird, who was born in County Sligo, Ireland, was a president and chief executive of the Montana Power Company. On a tour of the Walt Disney Studios at age 11, he announced that someday he would become part of its animation team, and soon afterward began work on his own 15-minute animated short. Within two years, Bird had completed his animation, which impressed the cartoon company. By age 14, barely in high school, Bird was mentored by the animator Milt Kahl, one of Disney's legendary Nine Old Men. Bird recalls Kahl's criticisms as ideal: Kahl would point out shortcomings by gently delivering thoughts on where Bird could improve. After graduating from Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon in 1975, Bird took a three-year break. He was then awarded a scholarship by Disney to attend California Institute of the Arts, where he met and befriended another future animator, Pixar co-founder and director John Lasseter.The Incredibles, Ratatouille, The Incredibles 2
Shorts: Jack-Jack Attack- Writer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Joseph Ranft was an American writer, voice actor, animator, storyboard artist and magician. He worked for Disney and Pixar. He worked on The Lion King, The Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters, Inc and Finding Nemo. He voiced in the many films he worked on, notably as Heimlich the Caterpillar from A Bug's Life and the outtakes of Toy Story 2. He passed away in August 2005.Co-Director: Cars- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Jan Pinkava was born on 21 June 1963 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He is a producer and director, known for Ratatouille (2007), Geri's Game (1997) and A Bug's Life (1998). He has been married to Kay Renard since September 1994.Co-Director: Ratatouille
Shorts: Geri's Game- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Bob Peterson was born in Wooster, Ohio, USA, in 1961. He studied mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University, where he took computer graphics courses and graduated in 1983. He continued his studies in mechanical engineering at Purdue University where he earned a master's degree in 1986. While a student, he wrote and drew a cartoon strip called "Loco Motives". Before joining Pixar in 1994, he worked at Wavefront Technologies, Inc. and Rez-n-8 Productions.Co-Director: Up- Producer
- Director
- Visual Effects
Bradford Lewis is known for Ratatouille (2007), How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) and Starship Troopers (1997).Co-Director: Cars 2- Art Department
- Director
- Writer
Mark Andrews was born on 12 September 1968 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He is a director and writer, known for Brave (2012), John Carter (2012) and Circle of Stone (2020).Brave
Shorts: One Man Band- Animation Department
- Writer
- Art Department
Brenda Chapman is an American animator, animation film director and writer from Beason, Illinois. She directed the Pixar film Brave and the DreamWorks Animation film The Prince of Egypt. She wrote the storylines of The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is married to Kevin Lima, fellow animation director. She did the singing voice of Miriam during the River Lullaby reprise of The Prince of Egypt.Brave- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Art Department
Dan Scanlon joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2001 as a storyboard artist on Pixar's award-winning feature films "Cars" and "Toy Story 3." During the initial production stages for both films, he worked closely with the directors to bring their ideas to the screen.
Scanlon went on to co-direct the original short film, "Mater and the Ghostlight," which is included as one of the bonus features on the "Cars" DVD. In addition to his work at Pixar, Scanlon simultaneously wrote and directed the live action film "Tracy," released in 2009.
Scanlon made his animated feature directorial debut in 2013 with "Monsters University," which grossed over $738.9 million worldwide at the box office, and received the 2013 "Hollywood Animation Award" from the Hollywood Film Awards. Scanlon's latest Pixar feature, "Onward," releases March 6, 2020.
In his role as Vice President, Creative, Scanlon is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production. Scanlon will serve as the Executive Producer on two upcoming unannounced Pixar films.
As a child growing up in Clawson, Michigan, Scanlon possessed a love for Warner Bros. cartoons, animated Disney films, and as fate would have it, Pixar short films. His passion inspired him to study film and animation in high school and in college, where he focused on illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD).
Upon graduating from CCAD, Scanlon began working as an animator and story artist for Character Builders, a 2D animation company that produced feature and commercial work in Columbus, Ohio.Monsters University, Onward
Shorts Co-Director: Mater and the Ghostlight- Art Department
- Animation Department
- Additional Crew
Ronnie del Carmen joined Pixar Animation Studios in the summer of 2000 during the production of "Finding Nemo" and became a story supervisor on the film. He did production design on the Academy Award®-nominated short film, "One Man Band" and story work on Oscar®-winning, "Ratatouille." Del Carmen was Head of Story on Disney/Pixar's Academy Award winning feature, "Up" and is the co-director of Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out."
Del Carmen also made his directorial debut with the short film "Dug's Special Mission" released on the "Up" DVD and Blu-Ray. In addition to his work on feature and short films he contributed his artistic talents to the illustrating the children's book, "My Name is Dug," written by Kiki Thorpe.
Del Carmen attended the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Advertising. Ronnie moved to the United States in 1989 and served as a storyboard artist for Batman: The Animated Series and then worked for DreamWorks, as a story supervisor.Co-Director: Inside Out
Shorts: Dug's Special Mission- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Animation Department
Peter Sohn joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2000, and began working in both the art and story departments for the Academy Award®-winning "Finding Nemo." Sohn continued on to work on "The Incredibles" in the art, story, and animation departments. He focused on animating members of the Parr family and worked on many memorable scenes from the film. He also worked as a story artist on another Oscar® winner, the 2008 feature film, "WALL.E."
Sohn worked with producer Kevin Reher on the Pixar short "Partly Cloudy," which was also his directorial debut at Pixar. Sohn directed Disney.Pixar's original feature "The Good Dinosaur," which opened in theaters in 2015.
In addition to his contributions as a filmmaker, Sohn has lent his voice talents to Pixar's feature films. In "Ratatouille" he voiced the character of Emile, and in "Monsters University," he is the voice of Scott "Squishy" Squibbles.
Prior to Pixar, Sohn worked at Warner Bros. with "Ratatouille" director Brad Bird on "The Iron Giant," as well as at Disney TV. He grew up in New York and attended California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts). He currently lives in the Bay Area.The Good Dinosaur, Elemental
Shorts: Partly Cloudy- Animation Department
- Additional Crew
- Actor
Angus MacLane was born in 1975. He is an actor, known for Lightyear (2022), The Incredibles (2004) and Finding Dory (2016).Lightyear
Co-Director: Finding Dory
Shorts: Burn-E, Small Fry- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Brian Fee was born on 29 January 1975 in Siskiyou County, California, USA. He is known for Cars 3 (2017), WALL·E (2008) and Lightyear (2022).Cars 3- Actor
- Writer
- Animation Department
Toy Story 4
Shorts: George and A.J., Riley's First Date?- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Kemp Powers is known for One Night in Miami... (2020), Soul (2020) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).Co-Director: Soul- Additional Crew
- Animation Department
- Writer
Domee Shi was born on 19 August 1989 in Chongqing, China. She is a writer, known for Turning Red (2022), Inside Out (2015) and Bao (2018).Turning Red
Shorts: Bao- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Additional Crew
Enrico Casarosa was born on 20 November 1971 in Genoa, Italy. He is known for Luca (2021), The Good Dinosaur (2015) and Coco (2017).Luca
Shorts: La Luna- Visual Effects
- Director
- Writer
Alvy Ray Smith is known for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), André and Wally B. (1984) and Tiny Toy Stories (1996).Shorts: The Adventures of André and Wally B.- Animation Department
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Ralph Eggleston was born on 18 October 1965 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. He was a production designer, known for Finding Nemo (2003), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Inside Out (2015). He died on 28 August 2022 in California, USA.Shorts: For the Birds- Actor
- Animation Department
- Art Department
Bud Luckey was an American animator, writer, director and voice actor from Montana known for his works at Pixar and Sesame Street. He directed and voiced the short film Boundin' before voicing Rick Dicker in The Incredibles and Jack-Jack Attack. He later voiced Chuckles from Toy Story 3 and Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He passed away in February 2018 due to an extended illness.Shorts: Boundin'- Sound Department
- Additional Crew
- Director
Gary Rydstrom, Director of Creative Operations/Sound Designer and Mixer, joined Skywalker Sound in 1983 as an operator in the machine room. Since then, he has contributed his talents to many projects as a sound designer, re-recording mixer, effects mixer and foley mixer. In 1998, Rydstrom was appointed Director of Creative Operations for Skywalker Sound, overseeing the creative and technological direction for the facility. Apart from his feature film and commercials work, Rydstrom has completed several television projects, rides and attraction films. Rydstrom holds a graduate degree from the USC School of Cinema and Television. He is the recipient of 7 Academy Awards for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing for his work on Saving Private Ryan (1998), Titanic (1997), Jurassic Park (1993), and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).Shorts: Lifted, Hawaiian Vacation- Animation Department
- Director
- Actor
Doug Sweetland is an American animator/director who helped define Pixar animation on early hits like "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2", "Monsters, Inc.", "Finding Nemo", and "Cars". He is a back-to-back Annie Award winner and his Pixar short, "Presto", was nominated for an Annie and an Oscar. His pitch, "Windy Day", launched Google's highly acclaimed VR series, "Spotlight Stories", and was granted a patent for its advances in virtual storytelling. Doug subsequently directed alongside Nick Stoller ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall", "The Muppets") to create the highly improvised, alt-comedy cult hit, "Storks". Doug continues his work as a creator in emerging tech. For freelance inquiries, please visit dougsweetland.com.Shorts: Presto- Art Department
- Actor
- Animation Department
Teddy Newton was born on 3 March 1964 in Encino, California, USA. He is an actor, known for The Incredibles (2004), Toy Story 3 (2010) and Ratatouille (2007).Shorts: Day and Knight- Animation Department
- Producer
- Director
Sanjay Patel is known for The Incredibles (2004), Incredibles 2 (2018) and Sanjay's Super Team (2015).Shorts: Sanjay's Super Team- Animation Department
- Writer
- Actor
Jim Capobianco received the 2008 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille. He went on to write and direct the short film, "Your Friend The Rat," found on the Ratatouille DVD, winning the 2008 ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Award for short films. Jim followed YFtR up with directing the critically acclaimed end titles for Pixar's 2008 release Wall.E. A graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, Jim started in the story department at Walt Disney Feature Animation on The Lion King. After five years at Disney, Jim relocated to Pixar Animation Studios where he was influential on the stories of many of Pixar's films from A Bug's Life to Coco. In 2009 Jim finished Leonardo, his first independent film, now in the permanent collection of the MoMA NYC. He also formed Aerial Contrivance Workshop a 'story design studio'. With ACW, Jim created and directed the 2D animation sequence for Walt Disney Motion Pictures, Mary Poppins Returns, winning his second Annie Award. Following that up as the Animation director of Philharmonia Fantastique an animated concert film similar to Fantasia for live symphony in collaboration with Mason Bates and Gary Rydstorm. Jim has recently written and directed his first feature film The Inventor and is working on writing and developing numerous scripts and books for children. Including a new concert film once again with Mason Bates and Gary Rydstorm.Shorts: Your Friend the Rat- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Dave Mullins is an Academy Award® and Annie Award® winning writer director. He is co-founder of ElectroLeague. His film WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film and Annie Award® for Best Animated Short Subject. His film LOU was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film. He attended Rhode Island School of Design where he studied painting and filmmaking. In 1995 he joined Walt Disney Feature Animation as an animator. He is a 20 year animation veteran of Pixar Animation Studios where he supervised animation on the Academy Award® winners Up and Soul and Golden Globe Nominated® Cars 2, The Good Dinosaur and Incredibles 2. Mullins lives in Moraga, California with his wife Lisa Mullins (animator), their two children and dog, Pickles.Shorts: Lou- Writer
- Animation Department
- Actress
Valerie LaPointe was born on 8 August 1981 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She is a writer and actress, known for Toy Story 4 (2019), Night Light (2003) and Brave (2012).Shorts: Lamp Life- Animation Department
- Writer
- Director
McKenna Harris is known for Elemental (2023), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) and Ciao Alberto (2021).Shorts: Ciao Alberto