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Igor (The Nightmare Before Christmas).jpg|'''[[Igor (The Nightmare Before Christmas)|Igor]]'''<br>(''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'')
 
Igor (The Nightmare Before Christmas).jpg|'''[[Igor (The Nightmare Before Christmas)|Igor]]'''<br>(''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'')
 
Pixar toy story lenny cap.jpg|'''[[Lenny|Lenny the Binoculars]]'''<br>(''[[Toy Story]]'')
 
Pixar toy story lenny cap.jpg|'''[[Lenny|Lenny the Binoculars]]'''<br>(''[[Toy Story]]'')
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Soldiers.jpg|'''[[Hun Army]]'''<br>(''[[Mulan]]'')
 
Heimlich.png|'''[[Circus Bugs#Heimlich|Heimlich]]'''<br>(''[[A Bug's Life]]'')
 
Heimlich.png|'''[[Circus Bugs#Heimlich|Heimlich]]'''<br>(''[[A Bug's Life]]'')
 
Wheezy render.png|'''[[Wheezy]]'''<br>(''[[Toy Story 2]]'')
 
Wheezy render.png|'''[[Wheezy]]'''<br>(''[[Toy Story 2]]'')

Revision as of 01:36, 19 February 2019

Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft was an American magician, animator, storyboard artist, and voice actor who worked for Pixar and Disney. His brother, Jerome Ranft is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar movies, and is also a voice actor.

Early life

Born in Pasadena, California and raised in Whittier, California, Ranft spent much of his youth practicing magic tricks and playing the accordion. At 15, he became a member of the Magic Castle Junior Group. Finishing high school in fall 1978, Joe Ranft began studying in the character animation program at the California Institute of the Arts. After two years, Joe Ranft's student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney animation executives who offered him a job.

Career

His first five years at Disney, Joe Ranft worked on a number of television projects that never got made. Furthering into his Disney career, he was bumped up into the Feature Animation department, where he received training from Eric Larson. Joe Ranft remembers his training under the Disney Legend as, "[Eric] always reminds me of just the fundamental things that I tend to forget. You know it like, animation is so complex; 'how many drawings are in there?’ and stuff, but Eric always comes back to like; ‘What does the audience perceive?'" [1] Around this time, he studied under and began performing with the improvisational group, The Groundlings. He stayed with Disney throughout the 1980s, doing story work on animated features including The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

Joe Ranft reunited with John Lasseter, whom he had previously met at California Institute of the Arts during the late 70's, when he joined Pixar in 1992. He worked on story development for all of Pixar's feature film releases, most recently as Head of Story on Cars.

In the movie Monsters, Inc., Ranft had a monster named after him (J.J. Ranft) as most of the Scarers in the film were named for Pixar staff.

In the DVD of Cars, Ranft can be seen in an interview about the movie. His favorite writers were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe.

Death

On August 16, 2005, Ranft and his friend Eric Frierson were passengers in Ranft's 2004 Honda Element, which was being driven by another friend, Elegba Earl. Earl suddenly lost control and crashed through the guard rail while northbound on Highway 1. The car plunged 130 feet into the mouth of the Navarro River in Mendocino County, California. Both Ranft and Earl were killed instantly. Frierson survived by escaping through the sun roof, though he received moderate injuries. Ranft was 45 years old at that time. He was survived by his wife, Sue Barry-Ranft and their two children, Jordy and Sophia, and his brother Jerome. His last two films Cars and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride were both dedicated to his memory.

Filmography

Year Film Position Subsidiary
1987 The Brave Little Toaster Director/Story/Screenplay/Animator/Voice Actor Walt Disney Pictures
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Story Artist Touchstone Pictures
1988 Oliver & Company Story Walt Disney Animation Studios
1989 The Little Mermaid Story Artist/Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios
1990 The Rescuers Down Under Story Supervisor/Animation/Screenplay Walt Disney Animation Studios
1991 Beauty and the Beast Story/Additional Voices Walt Disney Animation Studios
1992 Aladdin Story/Additional Voices Walt Disney Animation Studios
1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas Storyboard Supervisor/Voice Actor Walt Disney Animation Studios
1994 The Lion King Story Walt Disney Animation Studios
1995 Toy Story Story/Story Supervisor/Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
1996 James and the Giant Peach Storyboard Supervisor Walt Disney Pictures
1998 A Bug's Life Story Supervisor/Story/Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
1999 Toy Story 2 Story/Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
1999 Fantasia 2000 Story/Story Artist Walt Disney Animation Studios
2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire Voice Actor Walt Disney Animation Studios
2001 Monsters, Inc. Story Artist/Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
2003 Finding Nemo Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
2004 The Incredibles Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
2006 Cars Co-Director/Screenplay/Voice Actor Pixar Animation Studios
2006 Cars Toons: Mater and the Ghostlight Story Pixar Animation Studios

Roles

Gallery

Trivia

  • Joe Ranft's role as Elmo St. Peters is his only role in a traditionally-animated work.
  • Joe's son, Jordan voices one of the ant boys in A Bug's Life and Tad the butterfly fish in Finding Nemo.
  • Joe's daughter, Sophia voices the character of Baby Smitty in Monsters, Inc.

References

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


v - e - d
Pixar Animation Studios logo
In The Past
Glenn McQueenDaniel GersonJohn KahrsJoe RanftJustin WrightDan LeeLee UnkrichJohn LasseterRob Gibbs
Brain Trust Directors
Andrew StantonBrad Bird
Directors
Angus MacLanePeter SohnSanjay PatelDan ScanlonRonnie del CarmenMark AndrewsBrenda ChapmanSteve PurcellBrian FeeEnrico CasarosaDomee Shi
Producers
Jonas RiveraKori RaeKatherine Sarafian
Chief Creative Officer
Pete Docter
Associated Figures
Bob IgerEd CatmullSteve JobsGeorge LucasBob Chapek
Signature Voice Actors
John RatzenbergerBob PetersonBonnie HuntJosh CooleyJerome RanftFrank WelkerBill FarmerJeff Pidgeon
Signature Musicians
Randy NewmanMichael GiacchinoThomas NewmanMychael DannaJeff DannaChris StapletonTrent ReznorAtticus Ross