ADVERTISEMENT
Before he co-directed one of the most iconic films in history, this man was already a silent force reshaping the very DNA of animated storytelling. Born in 1949 in Rye, New York, his journey began far from the dazzling lights of Hollywood, studying fine arts at Arizona State University and honing a unique vision that would soon captivate the world. He joined a struggling animation powerhouse during a pivotal, transformative period – an era where the magic seemed to be fading, only to be spectacularly reignited by talents like his. His creative fingerprints are all over beloved classics that laid the groundwork for future blockbusters, including the enchanting worlds of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Oliver & Company, and The Rescuers Down Under. He wasn’t just an animator; he was an architect of dreams, meticulously crafting the worlds we would escape into. But even these triumphs were merely a prelude to the seismic event he was about to unleash upon the world, an event that would forever change cinema.
Continue reading…
