Rob Minkoff

Robert Ralph Minkoff (born August 11, 1962)[1] is an American filmmaker.[2] He is known for directing the Academy Award-winning Disney animated feature The Lion King (along with Roger Allers), along with directing Stuart Little, Stuart Little 2, The Haunted Mansion, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

Rob Minkoff
Minkoff in 2011
Born
Robert Ralph Minkoff

(1962-08-11) August 11, 1962
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
EducationPalo Alto High School
Alma materCalifornia Institute of the Arts
Occupation
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • animator
  • screenwriter
Years active1985–present
Notable work
The Lion King
Stuart Little
Stuart Little 2
The Haunted Mansion
The Forbidden Kingdom
Flypaper
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Spouse(s)
Crystal Kung
(
m. 2007)
Children2

Early life

Minkoff was born to a Jewish family[3] in Palo Alto, California to Jack Robert Minkoff (1922–1998) and Tola Fay Minkoff (née Stebel).[4] He studied at Palo Alto High School and graduated from California Institute of the Arts in the early 1980s in the Character Animation department.

While he was working his way through CalArts, he was hired by Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1983 as an in-between artist for The Black Cauldron (1985). He was then a supervising animator for The Great Mouse Detective (1986), before being a character designer for The Brave Little Toaster (1987). He also wrote the song "Good Company" for Oliver & Company (1988), before becoming a character animator for The Little Mermaid (1989). He then became a director for two Roger Rabbit shorts called Tummy Trouble (1989) and Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990) and was a part of a pre-production script development for Beauty and the Beast (1991). He also directed a Mickey Mouse short, which was shown at Disney-MGM Studios, called Mickey's Audition (1992).

Career

Minkoff got his big break when he directed the Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film The Lion King (1994) alongside Roger Allers. Since then, he has directed his first live-action movies: Stuart Little (1999) Stuart Little 2 (2002), which were a mix of live action and computer animation, and then some fully live action movies like The Haunted Mansion (2003), The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) and Flypaper (2011).

He participates as a member of the jury for the NYICFF, a local New York City film festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18.[5]

He directed DreamWorks Animation's computer-animated film Mr. Peabody & Sherman.[6][7] He is also attached to direct the fantasy action adventure Chinese Odyssey.[8] As of 2014, he is producing Blazing Samurai, an animated family film inspired by Blazing Saddles and scheduled for a 2017 release.[9][10] Minkoff is also a director on the 2018 animated Netflix original animated series of the late Anna Dewdney picture book franchise Llama Llama, overseeing all aspects of production.[11]

Personal life

Minkoff met Crystal Kung at a party in his office in 2003, and they attended the Finding Nemo premiere as their first date. Minkoff proposed to her on Valentine's Day 2006, and they married on September 29, 2007.[12] They have a son named Max and a daughter named Zoe.[13][14]

Kung is a 76th-generation descendant of Confucius. Her brother is Jeffrey Kung,[12] a Chinese singer and radio VJ.

Filmography

Films
Year Film Director Producer Writer Notes
1991 Beauty and the Beast No No uncredited Pre-production script development
1994 The Lion King Yes No No Co-directed with Roger Allers
1999 Stuart Little Yes No No
2002 Stuart Little 2 Yes executive No
2003 The Haunted Mansion Yes executive No
2008 The Forbidden Kingdom Yes No No
2011 Flypaper Yes No No
2014 Mr. Peabody & Sherman Yes No No Also voiced Creepy Kid
2018 Blazing Samurai No Yes No
TBA Chinese Odyssey[15] Yes Yes No
Wolf Totem[16] No Yes No
Silkworms[16] No Yes No

Short films

Year Film Director Writer Producer Notes
1989 Tummy Trouble Yes Story No Animated scenes
1990 Roller Coaster Rabbit Yes No No
1993 Trail Mix-Up No Story Yes

Television
Year Film Director Producer Notes
2003 Stuart Little No Yes
2009 Leverage Yes No Episode "The Mile High Job"
2010 Aftermath Yes Yes Creator
2015–2017 The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show No Yes
2018 Rainbow Rangers No Yes Co-creator

Animator
Year Film Notes
1985 The Black Cauldron
1986 The Great Mouse Detective
1987 Sport Goofy in Soccermania
Amazing Stories Episode "Family Dog"
The Brave Little Toaster Character Designer
1988 Technological Threat
1989 The Little Mermaid

Songs

References
  1. Rob Minkoff's middle name
  2. Rob Minkoff's bio
  3. Landes, Rachel X. (June 24, 2014). "Meet the 3 Jews Who Made 'The Lion King' Possible". Jewish Daily Forward.
  4. Rob Minkoff's parents and family
  5. NYICFF Jury
  6. "DreamWorks Animation Announces Feature Film Release Slate Through 2014" (Press release). DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  7. "DreamWorks Animation Pushes Back Release for 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman'". The Hollywood Reporter. February 5, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  8. Fernandez, Jay A. (2010-10-14). "Rob Minkoff sets sail for 'Chinese Odyssey'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  9. Hipes, Patrick (February 5, 2015). "Open Road Acquires Toon 'Blazing Samurai' For 2017 Release". Deadline. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  10. Wiseman, Andreas (November 6, 2014). "GFM rides with Blazing Samurai". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  11. "Llama Llama bible" (PDF). Genius Brands. September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  12. Knox Beckius, Kim (2007). "A Leading Lady - Crystal Kung and Rob Minkoff". Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  13. Desowitz, Bill (July 19, 2013). "Immersed in Movies: 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' Wows Comic-Con". Animation Scoop. Retrieved July 20, 2013. Minkoff then admitted that he is now the father of a 10-month-old son and that the movie has special meaning with the bonding of father and son.
  14. Churnin, Nancy (March 4, 2014). "Mr. Peabody director Rob Minkoff stops in Dallas, talks movies that move him". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  15. Fernandez, Jay A. (October 14, 2010). "Rob Minkoff sets sail for 'Chinese Odyssey'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  16. Mercedes Milligan. "Le Vision, Rob Minkoff Partner for Animated Wolf Totem". animationmagazine.net. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
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