Joe Ranft

Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 – August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, director, voice actor and magician, who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. His younger brother Jerome Ranft is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar films.

Joe Ranft
Born
Joseph Henry Ranft

(1960-03-13)March 13, 1960
Pasadena, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 2005(2005-08-16) (aged 45)
Mendocino County, California, U.S.
Cause of deathInjuries sustained in a single-vehicle traffic collision
NationalityAmerican
EducationMonte Vista High School
Alma materCalifornia Institute of the Arts
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • animator
  • storyboard artist
  • director
  • voice actor
  • magician
Years active1975–2005
EmployerWalt Disney Animation Studios (1980–99)
Pixar Animation Studios (1991–2005)
Spouse(s)
Sue Barry
(
m. 1985)
Children2
RelativesJerome Ranft (brother)

He received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination as one of the writers of Toy Story (1995), and was also the co-director on Cars (2006), his final work.

Early life

Joseph Henry Ranft was born in Pasadena, California on March 13, 1960,[1] and raised in Whittier. As a child, Ranft developed a love for magic, storytelling, film and comedy. At age 15, he became a member of the Magic Castle Junior Group. After graduating from Monte Vista High School, Whittier, in 1978, Ranft began studying in the character animation program at the California Institute of the Arts alongside John Lasseter and Brad Bird.[1] After two years, Ranft's student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney animation executives, who offered him a job.

Career

In 1980, Ranft joined Disney as a writer and storyboard artist. During his first five years with Disney, Joe worked on a number of television projects[1] that were never produced. Later in his Disney career, he was promoted into the Feature Animation department, where he was mentored by Eric Larson. Ranft later spoke about training under the Disney legend: "He always reminds me of just the fundamental things that I tend to forget. You know, it's 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?'"[2]

Around this time, he studied under and began performing with the improvisational group, The Groundlings.[3] Ranft stayed with Disney throughout the 1980s, writing the story on many animated features, including Oliver & Company, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. He also worked on The Brave Little Toaster in 1987 for Hyperion Animation and James and the Giant Peach in 1996 for Allied Filmmakers.[1]

Ranft reunited with Lasseter when he was hired by Pixar in 1991 as their head of story.[1] There he worked on all of their films produced up to 2006; this included Toy Story (for which he received an Academy Award nomination) and A Bug's Life, as the co-story writer and others as story supervisor. His final film was Cars. He also voiced characters in many of the films, including Heimlich the caterpillar in A Bug's Life, Wheezy the penguin in Toy Story 2, and Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo.[1]

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. Ranft used a German accent to voice Heimlich the caterpillar in A Bug's Life and a French accent to voice Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo. He was also given lead story credit on The Brave Little Toaster (1987) and voiced Elmo St. Peters, the appliance salesman.

His favorite writers were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. His favorite magicians were John Carney, Daryl, Michael Ammar, Ricky Jay and Jimmy Grippo.[4]

He was posthumously honored in 2006 as a Disney Legend and in 2016 with the Winsor McCay Award, the lifetime achievement award for animators.

Death and legacy

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 a guard rail while northbound on Highway 1. The SUV plunged 130 feet into the mouth of the Navarro River in Mendocino County, California, killing both Ranft and Earl instantly. Frierson survived by escaping through the sun roof, though he received moderate injuries.[5][6] Ranft, who was 45, died during the production of Cars, which he co-directed and voice acted in. The film and tie-in game are dedicated to his memory, as is Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, on which Ranft was executive producer.[7] Ranft is survived by his wife Sue and their two children, Jordan and Sophia, and his brother Jerome.[8]

Henry Selick called him "the story giant of our generation."[6] In honor of Ranft, in Selick's animated film production Coraline, the moving SUV that moves Coraline into her new apartment is emblazoned with a "Ranft Moving, Inc." logo. The movers themselves are modeled after Ranft and his brother Jerome, who voiced one of the movers. Jerome even took up most of Joe’s voice roles following his brother’s death.

The 2010 DVD re-release of Toy Story 2 includes a special feature that focuses on Ranft and his accomplishments.

Filmography
Year Title Voice role Notes
1982Fun with Mr. FutureScreenplay
1987The Brave Little ToasterElmo St. Petersalso screenwriter story artist and directing animator[9]
1988Who Framed Roger RabbitStory artist[10]
Oliver & CompanyStory[11]
1989The Little MermaidStoryboards[11]
1990The Rescuers Down UnderAnimation screenplay and story supervisor[11]
1991Beauty and the BeastStory[11]
1993The Nightmare Before ChristmasIgor[12]also storyboard supervisor[11]
1994The Lion KingStory[13]
1995Toy StoryLenny the Binoculars[12]also story/story supervisor[13]
1996James and the Giant PeachStoryboard supervisor[9]
Toy Story Animated StorybookLenny the Binoculars[14]
1998A Night at the RoxburyHottie Dancer[13]
A Bug's LifeHeimlich[13]also story/story supervisor[13]
A Bug's Life: The Video GameHeimlich[14]
1999Toy Story 2Wheezy[13]also story supervisor[13]
Fantasia 2000Additional art, story[9]
2000Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure BeginsWheezy[14]
2001Monsters, Inc.Peter "Claws" Wardalso story artist[13]
MonkeyboneStreetsquash Rabbit[15]
2002Monsters, Inc. Scream ArenaAdditional Voices[14]
Treasure PlanetPirates[14]
2003Finding Nemo: The Video GameJacques the Shrimp[14]
Finding NemoJacques the Shrimp[11]
Disney's Extreme Skate AdventureWheezy[14]
2004The IncrediblesCrowd Member[11]
2005Corpse BrideExecutive Producer[9]
2006CarsRed and Peterbilt[16]co-director, story, screenplay, story supervisor, and dedication[16]
Mater and the GhostlightStory[17]
2007The Pixar StoryHimselfalso Dedication

References
  1. Woollcombe, Alan (August 23, 2005). "Joe Ranft". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  2. "Eric Larson, Disney Family Album: Part Three".
  3. Cody, Bill (June 22, 2011). "John Lasseter Talks 'Cars 2' and the Memory of His Friend and Collaborator, Joe Ranft". ComingSoon.Net. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  4. "Pixar Artist's Corner - Joe". Pixar. Archived from the original on December 11, 2002. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  5. Scott Weinberg (August 19, 2005). "Pixar's Joe Ranft Falls to a Tragic Death". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 26, 2008.
  6. Sheigh Crabtree (August 18, 2005). "Pixar Animation's Joe Ranft, 45". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 2, 2007.
  7. Solomon, Charles (May 28, 2006). "With 'Cars,' Pixar Revs Up to Outpace Walt Disney Himself". New York Times. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  8. Solomon, Charles (August 18, 2005). "Joe Ranft, 45; Artist for Pixar Animated Films, Voice of Heimlich in 'A Bug's Life'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  9. Soloman, Charles (August 18, 2005). "Joe Ranft, 45; Artist for Pixar Animated Films, Voice of Heimlich in 'A Bug's Life'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  10. "Disney Legends « Disney D23". Legends.disney.go.com. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  11. "Joe Ranft". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  12. Sragow, Michael (November 23, 1999). ""Toy" story man". Salon. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  13. "Pixar exec dies in car accident". Variety. August 18, 2005. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  14. "Joe Ranft at Behind the Voice Actors". Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  15. "Joe Ranft". British Film Institute. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  16. Lowry, Brian (June 4, 2006). "Film Review: Cars". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  17. Amidi, Amid (2017). The Art of Pixar Short Films. Chronicle Books. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9781452165219.
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