Richard Rich is an American animated film director, producer, and animator.
He started at the mailroom at the Walt Disney Studio in the early 1970s after founder Walt Disney had died, working with his successor as chief animator, Don Bluth. The only two films he directed at Disney were The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron.
After 1985, he left Disney to found his own studio, Rich Animation Studios (later known as RichCrest Animation Studios), and directed a series of upbeat, inspiring Bible stories. He also wrote and directed the animated film The Swan Princess and works on its respective sequels.
He is the youngest animation director in the history of The Walt Disney Company, but did not start out as an animator.
He taught piano lessons during his lunch hour, which got the attention from Disney executives.
Disney filmography
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Bedknobs and Broomsticks | Assistant Director (uncredited) |
| 1973 | Robin Hood | Assistant Director (uncredited) |
| 1974 | Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! | Assistant Director (uncredited) |
| 1977 | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Assistant Director |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Assistant Director |
| 1977 | Pete's Dragon | Assistant Director |
| 1978 | The Small One | Assistant Director/Songwriter (Writer & Lyrics: A Friendly Face) |
| 1981 | The Fox and the Hound | Director/Songwriter (Music: Goodbye May Seem Forever) |
| 1985 | The Black Cauldron | Director/Writer/Story |
Outside Filmography
| Year | Film | Position | Production Company | Distributed by | Current Distribution Rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Swan Princess | Director/Producer/Writer | Rich Animation Studios Nest Entertainment |
New Line Cinema (USA) Columbia-TriStar Film Distributors International (Worldwide) |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| 1997 | The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain | Director/Producer/Writer | Rich Animation Studios Nest Entertainment |
Legacy Releasing (USA) Columbia-TriStar Film Distributors International (Worldwide) |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| 1998 | The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom | Director/Producer/Writer | Rich Animation Studios Nest Entertainment |
Columbia-TriStar Home Video | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| 1999 | The King and I | Director | Rich Animation Studios Nest Entertainment Rankin/Bass Productions Morgan Creek Productions |
Warner Bros. Pictures | Mill Creek Entertainment |
| 1999 | The Lost Is Found | Director | Nest Entertainment | Nest Leaning | |
| 2000 | The Scarecrow | Director/Producer/Writer | Rich Animation Studios Nest Family Entertainment (uncredited) |
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Home Video |
|
| 2001 | The Trumpet of the Swan | Director | Nest Family Entertainment RichCrest Animation Studios |
TriStar Pictures (Sony Pictures) | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| 2002 | Muhammad: The Last Prophet | Director | RichCrest Animation Studios | Fine Media Group Badr International |
|
| 2006 | Arthur's Missing Pal | Producer | Arthur Worldwide WGBH-TV RichCrest Animation Studios Marc Brown Studios |
Kidtoon Films | Lionsgate Home Entertainment |
| 2006 | Happily N'Ever After | Producer (uncredited) | Vanguard Animation Odyssey Entertainment BAF Berlin Animation Film BFC Berliner Film Companie Nitrogen Studios |
Lionsgate | Lionsgate Home Entertainment |
| 2009 | Happily N'Ever After 2 | Executive producer | Kickstart Productions Berlin Animation Film |
Lionsgate | Lionsgate Home Entertainment |
| 2010 | Alpha and Omega | Producer | Crest Animation Studios | Lionsgate | Lionsgate Home Entertainment |
| 2011 | The Little Engine That Could | Producer | Crest Animation Studios Universal Animation Studios |
Universal Studios Home Entertainment | |
| 2012 | The Swan Princess Christmas | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| 2013 | Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure | Director/Producer/Story | Crest Animation Productions | Lionsgate Home Entertainment | |
| 2014 | The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale | Director/Producer/Writer/Story | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment Sony Wonder |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| 2014 | Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions | Lionsgate Home Entertainment | |
| 2014 | Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions | Lionsgate | Lionsgate Home Entertainment |
| 2015 | Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation | Producer | Crest Animation Productions | Lionsgate Home Entertainment | |
| 2016 | The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment Streetlight Productions Sony Wonder |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| 2017 | The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment Streetlight Productions Sony Wonder |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| 2018 | The Swan Princess: A Royal Myztery | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment Streetlight Productions Sony Wonder |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| 2019 | The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment Streetlight Productions Sony Wonder |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
| 2020 | The Swan Princess: A Royal Wedding | Director/Producer | Crest Animation Productions Nest Family Entertainment Streetlight Productions Sony Wonder |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | |
