Brenda Chapman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brenda Chapman
Chapman at JDIFF 2012
Born	1962/1963 (age 62–63) Beason, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts
Occupation	Animator director screenwriter storyboard artist
Years active	1987–present
Employer	Walt Disney Animation Studios (1988–1999) DreamWorks Animation (1994–2003) Pixar Animation Studios (2003–2012)
Notable work	Beauty and the Beast Brave The Lion King The Little Mermaid The Prince of Egypt
Spouse(s)	Kevin Lima ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	1
Awards	Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Brave (2012)

Brenda Chapman is an amazing American animator, writer, and director. She was born on February 27, 1963. She made history as the first woman to direct a major animated movie, DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt, in 1998.

Later, she co-directed Disney/Pixar's Brave in 2012. For this film, she became the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Early Life and Education

Brenda Chapman grew up in Beason, Illinois, as the youngest of five kids. She first went to Lincoln College. Then, she moved to California to study animation at a famous school called the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

Career Highlights

Brenda Chapman started her career working on TV cartoons during her summer breaks. After finishing college in 1987, she joined Walt Disney Animation Studios. She began as a story trainee for The Little Mermaid (1989).

She then became a storyboard artist for films like The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and Beauty and the Beast (1991). She helped create many important scenes in Beauty and the Beast. Later, she became the head of story for The Lion King (1994), being the first woman to hold this role in an animated movie.

Working at DreamWorks and Pixar

In 1994, Brenda joined DreamWorks Animation when it first started. She was one of three directors for the 1998 movie The Prince of Egypt. This made her the first female director for a major animated film studio. She also worked on Chicken Run and other projects at DreamWorks.

In 2003, Brenda moved to Pixar Animation Studios. There, she helped with Cars (2006) before developing her own film, which became Brave. She was announced as Pixar's first female director for Brave in 2008.

Although she was later replaced as director by Mark Andrews due to creative differences, she stayed with Pixar until after Brave was released. In 2012, her work on Brave earned her an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. This made her the first woman to win this Oscar category.

After Brave, Brenda worked as a story consultant for Lucasfilm Animation on Strange Magic (2015). She later returned to DreamWorks Animation in 2013 to help develop new projects.

Recent Work

Since 2016, Brenda Chapman has been developing projects with her husband, Kevin Lima, for their company, Chapman Lima Productions.

In 2016, it was announced that Brenda would direct her first live-action movie, Come Away (2020). This fantasy film tells a story that happens before Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Famous actors like Angelina Jolie and David Oyelowo starred in it.

In 2020, Brenda mentioned she was working on other projects with her husband. She also said she was writing a novel and thinking about turning it into an animated screenplay.

Personal Life

Brenda Chapman is married to director Kevin Lima. They met at CalArts. Kevin has directed movies like A Goofy Movie, Tarzan, and Enchanted.

They have a daughter named Emma Rose Lima, born in 1999. Emma was the inspiration for Mérida, the main princess in Brave. Emma has also done voice acting in Disney movies like Bambi II and Enchanted. The family lives in Tamalpais Valley, California. Brenda Chapman has Scottish family roots.

Filmography

Feature Films

Television

See also

In Spanish: Brenda Chapman para niños