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Byron Patrick Howard is a Japanese-born American animator, story artist, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Howard grew up in Issaquah, Washington, attending Issaquah High School (graduating in 1986) and attending The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Howard's career in animation began 25 years ago when he followed his childhood dream to work for Walt Disney Animation Studios by writing for advice from one of Disney's Nine Old Men animators, Frank Thomas. Using Mr. Thomas's helpful letter, he structured his entire curriculum. Before the ink was dry on his diploma, he relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he worked as a tour guide for Disney's animation tour at Disney MGM Studios. After 4 portfolio submissions, Howard began the Disney animation internship and was hired in 1994. He went from in-betweener to animator to supervising animator in just 5 years. Since relocating to the California studios in 2004, he has worked as a story artist, character designer on Cobra Bubbles for Lilo & Stitch and Kenai for Brother Bear, and director on Disney's 48th animated feature film Bolt. He was recognized for an Annie Award Nomination in 2004 for Outstanding Character Animation on Brother Bear.

Howard started his career in 2008 as a director with the film Bolt. The other director of this film is Chris Williams, and the writers of the film are Dan Fogelman and Chris Sanders. It was released on November 21, 2008, and the cast of the film includes John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell, James Lipton, etc. He also directed the short film tied in with Bolts's DVD/Blu-Ray release called Super Rhino. Additionally, he directed Tangled with Nathan Greno.

In May 2013, it was reported that Howard, along with Rich Moore, was directing an animated animal comedy film for Walt Disney Animation Studios. A few months later, it was revealed that the film would be titled Zootopia, and was released on March 2016.

In the Fusion documentary Imagining Zootopia, Howard declared he is gay and has been married since 1988.

Feature Film Filmography[]

Year Film Position Subsidiary
1995 Pocahontas Inbetweener: Pocahontas Walt Disney Animation Studios
1998 Mulan Animator: Yao/Fa Family Ancestors
2002 Lilo & Stitch Supervising Animator: Cobra Bubbles/Character Designer
2003 Brother Bear Supervising Animator: Kenai
2005 Chicken Little Additional Story Artist
2008 Bolt Director/Additional Story Material
2010 Tangled Director/Voice Actor (Guard 2 and Thug 2)
2016 Zootopia Director/Story/Supervising Animator/Voice Actor (Travis and Bucky Oryx-Antlerson)
2019 Frozen II Executive Producer
2021 Encanto Director

Animated Shorts Filmography[]

Year Film Position Subsidiary
2000 John Henry Supervising Animator Walt Disney Animation Studios
2009 Super Rhino Executive Producer
2012 Tangled Ever After Writer/Director/Voice Actor (Lantern Wrangler and Chef)
2023 Once Upon a Studio Special Thanks

Roles[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Byron Howard (2016-03-14). "Byron Howard answers on Twitter". Retrieved on 2016-03-14.

External Links[]

v - e - d
Walt Disney Animation Studios - Transparent Logo
1920s—1970s
Disney's Nine Old Men: Milt KahlFrank ThomasOllie JohnstonLes ClarkJohn LounsberyMarc DavisWard KimballEric LarsonWolfgang Reitherman

Animators: Bill TytlaArt BabbittLee BlairPreston BlairFred MooreShamus CulhaneCy YoungDon LuskNorman FergusonHal KingJack HannahDick KinneyHal AmbroKen O'BrienJudge WhitakerBill JusticeDon BluthGary GoldmanCharles A. NicholsBlaine GibsonJohn EwingWalt StanchfieldRolly CrumpFred HellmichAmby PaliwodaWilfred JacksonXavier AtencioBen SharpsteenEarl HurdDale OliverEric CleworthDavid HandFred SpencerJulius SvendsenJack BradburyKenneth MuseRudolf IsingHugh HarmanFriz FrelengWalt KellyLeo SalkinJohn DehnerRetta ScottDavid SwiftMel ShawJack CuttingGrant SimmonsArt StevensFrank TashlinWathel RogersTyrus WongJohnny Cannon
Visual Development, Layout, Background Artists and Character Designers: Gustaf TenggrenMary BlairMarjorie RalstonLillian BoundsJoe GrantMel ShawClaude CoatsDon DaGradiJohn HenchEyvind EarleKen O'ConnorThor PutnamAlbert HurterJohn HubleyHerbert RymanDon GriffithBasil DavidovichJack BoydPeter EllenshawRuthie TompsonEarl DuvallRetta DavidsonUb IwerksVance GerryHazel SewellJames BodreroLance NolleyGrace BaileyMaurice NobleDale BarnhartAndy EngmanEustace LycettJohn EmersonJoe Hale
Storyboard Artists and Writers: Bill PeetRalph WrightDick HuemerFloyd NormanYale GraceyTed SearsErdman PennerJoe RinaldiWinston HiblerOtto EnglanderWilliam CottrellBill BergAl BertinoT. HeeHomer BrightmanTed OsbourneLarry ClemmonsHarry ReevesJesse MarshChuck CouchWebb SmithDick Sebast
Directors: Clyde GeronimiHamilton LuskeJack KinneyTed BermanRichard RichGeorge ScribnerRiley ThomsonDick LundyJack KingBurt GillettJames AlgarBill RobertsLarry Lansburgh
Producers: Walt DisneyRon MillerKen AndersonDon DuckwallPerce PearceMargaret J. Winkler

1980s—present
Renaissance Directors: Rob MinkoffRoger AllersGary TrousdaleKirk WiseChris SandersMark DindalJohn Musker

Story Trust Directors: Ron ClementsChris BuckByron HowardDon HallChris WilliamsRich MooreStephen J. AndersonNathan GrenoFawn Veerasunthorn
Producers: Peter Del VechoClark SpencerRoy ConliDorothy McKimDon HahnShane Morris
Chief Creative Officer: Jennifer Lee
Associated Figures: Bob IgerRoy Edward DisneyMichael EisnerJohn LasseterEd CatmullJeffrey KatzenbergBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors: Jim CummingsAlan TudykKatie LowesJohn DiMaggioMaurice LaMarcheJodi BensonDavid Ogden StiersJesse CortiPaul BriggsRaymond S. PersiPhil JohnstonFrank WelkerBill FarmerBrian Cummings
Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert LopezLin-Manuel MirandaHoward AshmanTim RicePhil CollinsStephen SchwartzMarc ShaimanDanny Troob
Supervising Animators: Glen KeaneAndreas DejaEric GoldbergMark HennJohn PomeroyRandy HaycockDale BaerTony BancroftTom BancroftTony FucileAnthony DeRosaRuss EdmondsRandy HaycockBruce W. SmithDuncan MarjoribanksRuben AquinoNik RanieriRon HusbandRick FarmiloeTom SitoTony AnselmoWill FinnKathy Zielinski
Visual Development & Storyboard Artists: Dean DeBloisClaire KeaneBrittney LeeJin KimShiyoon KimRyan Green

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