Selick met Ranft at Disney in the early 1980s, and his first impression of Ranft was that he was "a huge guy" who was well over 6 feet tall. Joe Ranft. Joseph Henry Ranft was born in Pasadena, California, on March 13, 1960, and raised in Whittier. He was the voice of Heimlich the ravenous caterpillar in "A Bug's Life," Jacques the cleaner shrimp in "Finding Nemo," and Wheezy the Penguin in 1999's "Toy Story 2," and he provided voices for "Monster's, Inc." (2001) and last year's "The Incredibles.". Before joining Pixar, Ranft worked with Selick as a storyboard supervisor on 1993's Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. that is greay. On August 16, 2005, Ranft, 45, and his friend Eric Frierson, were . He was funny, poignant, original, and he had an infallible sense for how to structure a story.. His first five years at Disney, Joe Ranft worked on a number of television projects that never got made. Animators: Bill Tytla Art Babbitt Lee Blair Preston Blair Fred Moore Shamus Culhane Cy Young Don Lusk Norman Ferguson Hal King Jack Hannah Dick Kinney Hal Ambro Ken O'Brien Judge Whitaker Bill Justice Don Bluth Gary Goldman Charles A. Nichols Blaine Gibson John Ewing Walt Stanchfield Fred Hellmich Amby Paliwoda Wilfred Jackson Xavier Atencio Ben Sharpsteen Earl Hurd Dale Oliver Eric Cleworth David Hand Fred Spencer Julius Svendsen Kenneth Muse Rudolf Ising Hugh Harman Friz Freleng Walt Kelly Leo Salkin John Dehner Ranft was widely respected as one of the top story artists in the animation industry. For the last 13 years, he worked in story development and provided the voices of Heimlich the caterpillar in A Bugs Life, Wheezy the asthmatic penguin in Toy Story 2 and Jacques the cleaner fish in Finding Nemo. For co-writing the 1995 film Toy Story, Ranft earned an Academy Award nomination. During his first five years with Disney, Joe worked on a number of television projects that were never produced. Unlike many story artists, Ranft never expressed an interest in directing. As a child, Ranft developed a love for magic, storytelling, film and comedy. UKIAH, Calif., Aug. 18 - Joe Ranft, who was nominated in 1996 for an Oscar as co-writer of "Toy Story" for Pixar Animation Studios, died on Tuesday when the . Joe had a great passion for telling stories, and he told them better than anyone. and Eric Frierson, 39, were driving northbound on Highway 1 in Mendocino County, Calif., en route to take part in a retreat for a mentoring program. His spirit and legacy will live on through the hundreds of stories that are being told and will be told by all the artists and directors he mentored and inspired. I will miss him. Joseph Henry Ranft[1] was born in Pasadena, California, on March 13, 1960,[1] and raised in Whittier. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 August 16, 2005) was a beloved god of animation, Pixarian, Disney animator and writer, magician, impressionist, actor, and prankster extraordinaire. After being promoted to the Feature Animation department, he was mentored by Eric Larson. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, and voice actor, who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. If you didn't make the list remember we have a waitlist and will get you moved up as soon as we can. Aug. 19, 2005. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The third person in the car, whom the CHP identified as Eric Frierson, 39, of Los Angeles, survived by climbing through the sun roof. He was taken to Mendocino Coast Hospital and treated for moderate injuries. Both Ranft and Earl were killed instantly. Ranft and Earl died from injuries sustained in the accident. Screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, director, comedian, voice actor, magician. Mr. Ranft is survived by his wife of 20 years, Su, a son, Jordan, a daughter, Sophia, two brothers, Jerome and James, and a sister, Ruth. The car plunged 130 feet and crashed into the ocean. Both Ranft and Earl were killed. . Update (2:32pm): Heres a nice SALON article/interview with Joe Ranft that offers some insight into his personal background and his approach to storytelling, as well as explains how he became involved with voice acting at Pixar. Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert Lopez Lin-Manuel Miranda Howard Ashman Tim Rice Phil Collins Stephen Schwartz Marc Shaiman Danny Troob Furthering into his Disney career, he was bumped up into the Feature Animation department, where he received training from Eric Larson. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 -- August 16, 2005) was a beloved god of animation, {{Creator/Pixar}}ian, {{Creator/Disney}} animator and writer, magician, impressionist, actor, and prankster extraordinaire. 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. I actually cried at the end. Mr. Ranft was also the storyboard supervisor for two animated movies directed by Henry Selick, 1993's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and 1996's "James and the Giant Peach," and earned story credits for the Pixar hits "A Bug's Life" and "Monsters, Inc.", In addition to his gifts as a story artist, Mr. Ranft was a talented voice actor. 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, Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo and Vinnie Terrio the gecko in Finding Meow-Meow (2005). Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor and magician who worked for Pixar and Disney. At 15, he became a member of the Magic Castle Junior Group. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, comedian, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor and magician who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. i watch it everyday. [1] After two years, Ranft's student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney animation executives, who offered him a job. [7] His remains were cremated.[8]. Joe was a lovable zombie. Joseph Henry Ranft March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005 was an American screenwriter, . TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Also killed was the driver, Elegba Earl, 32, of Los Angeles. He trained under legendary animator Eric Larson and cut his teeth as a story man on THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER, as well as an EPCOT Center TV special and early versions of WHO FRAMER ROGER RABBIT? After two years, Ranft's student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney animation executives, who offered him a job. His favorite writers were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. He also worked on The Brave Little Toaster in 1987 for Hyperion Animation and James and the Giant Peach in 1996 for Allied Filmmakers. 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. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor. He was one of seven writers nominated for an Academy Award for best original screenplay for 1995s Toy Story.. Red Jerry Recycled Batteries Cars (co-director, writer, and voice actor) Cars was the last film that Ranft worked on, and it was very dedicated to him. He was taken to . We all knew a giant was among us. As a child, Ranft developed a love for magic, storytelling, film and comedy. Longtime Movieweb contributor that was uploading 1-minute movie reviews to the world wide web via AOL before Youtube or social media existed. "Every film Joe's name was on was successful artistically and financially," Selick said. And after the story was toldwe had met new animated friends that would be with us for our entire lives. loop: false, By Amid Amidi | 08/17/2005 10:58 am | Be the First to Comment! If you mean Eric Frierson, who escaped through the skylight, it's not very probative case because two front-seat occupants died (driver Elegba Earl and passenger Joe Ranft). Now Hollywood Shuffle is a classic, Remember that Harry Styles Spitgate drama? [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. Eric Frierson. background: '#333333', Ranft was on his way to his annual retreat with the Mosaic Foundation with two friends from the Watts, CA, area, Frierson and Earl, whom he had sponsored for the spiritual retreat in Mendocino. Resides in Covington, GA. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/JoeRanft. The secret of Pixar's magic can be found at CalArts Obituary by the former President of the Northern California Disneyana Enthusiasts club, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Articles with invalid date parameter in template, also screenwriter story artist and directing animator, Animation screenplay and story supervisor, Story Supervisor, Co-director, screenwritter, dedication & Writter. OTOH the car went into the ocean, so the impact per se might not have caused the deaths. features: { How many great ideas he had taken with himself? His favorite writers were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. Joe Ranft. 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. Update (12:08pm): Animation legend Floyd Norman remembers Joe Ranft: Amid Amidi is Cartoon Brew's Publisher and Editor-at-large. The California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at about 3 p.m. Tuesday as the driver tried to regain control of the car after swerving when he headed into a tight left curve. [14] Additionally, the 2020 film Soul includes his name on a wall of previous mentors to the character 22. A memorial service has been set for Joe Ranft, one of the animation industrys most respected and talented story specialists, who died in a car accident near Mendocino, California, on Aug. 16, 2005 (see AWN report). 100 Best Free Movies on YouTube (March 2023), 270 Best Movies Directed By Women of the 21st Century, 100 Best Movies Written by Women of All Time. But glaring gaps remain. Joe Ranft died at the age 45 Mendocino County, California, United States of car crash August 16, 2005. FireflyARBooks. He was a classic example of a maladjusted child with a dark imagination finding great success in the film industry. . [1] After two years, Ranft's student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney animation executives, who offered him a job. Pixar Studios veteran Joe Ranft died on Tuesday after the car he was riding in broke through a guardrail and plummeted over 100 feet into the ocean, says The Hollywood Reporter. Thank you Mr. Ranft for your creativity and your love to this industry. Associated Figures: Bob Iger Roy Edward Disney Michael Eisner John Lasseter Ed Catmull Jeffrey Katzenberg Bob Chapek Get our L.A. Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, and magician who worked for Pixar and Disney at Disney Animation and Disney Television Animation. Born in Pasadena, he grew up in Whittier, where his early interests included movies, drawing, performing in school plays and doing sleight-of-hand magic. Joe had a great passion for telling stories, and he told them better than anyone, Lasseter said Wednesday. Ranft was survived by his wife of 20 years, Sue Barry, and their . Joe helped to make Pixar what it is today, and he helped us to elevate the craft of storytelling. And so will Joe. Hed been at the studio since 92, and been a lead person on just about every movie made here, so _everybody_ knew him. Selected filmography (1982 - actor "I.Q.") The Brave Little Toaster (1987 - voice of Elmo St. Peters, Screenplay and Story . Ranft, who was 45, died during the production of Cars, which he co-directed and voice acted in. Ranft was traveling in a car with two friends, Eric Frierson and Elegba Earl, when the accident occurred. Update (3:54pm): Here is the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER obit with scary details of how the auto accident happened. Lenny the Binoculars in Toy Story (1995), Fa Lang in Mulan (1998), Heimlich the caterpillar in A Bug's Life (1998), Wheezy the toy penguin in Toy Story 2 (1999), Pete "Claws" Ward in Monsters Inc (2001), Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo (2003), Universal Man and One of Syndrome's guards in . Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft was an American animator, storyboard artist, director, comedian, voice actor, and magician, who worked for Disney and Pixar. Both Ranft and Earl were killed instantly while Frierson survived by escaping through the sun roof, though he received moderate injuries. [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. JOE RANFT He was the co-director and writer of Cars, and performed the voice of Red in the film. Ranft was a co-writer on 1995's Toy Story, for which he earned an Oscar nomination, and 1998's A Bug's Life. He is also the older . . He was a big part of our lives, and we loved him and loved working with him. "Joe was really a major part of Pixar's soul - he was one of the key players who made all the films what they are." Pete Docter Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, and magician, who was the key creative member of Pixar and was one of the original members of the Brain Trust. Sad real sad As I found out he was a great man and done so much for Pixar! Sorry for him. '"[2], Around this time, he studied under and began performing with the improvisational group, The Groundlings. Why such good people have to be taken away so early Rest In Peace Joe, your work will never be forgotten! He helped to conceive the original story, along with Pixars John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter, for TOY STORY and served as story supervisor on the film. CHP investigators said Earl apparently had driven slightly off the roadway on the right, overcompensated when he turned the wheel to the left to straighten out, and veered over the cliff. He was posthumously honored in 2006 as a Disney Legend and in 2016 with the Winsor McCay Award, the lifetime achievement award for animators. Supervising Animators: Glen Keane Andreas Deja Eric Goldberg Mark Henn John Pomeroy Randy Haycock Dale Baer T. 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