Byron Howard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Byron Howard
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Howard at the 2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival
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| Born | December 26, 1968 Misawa, Aomori, Japan
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Evergreen State College |
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| Employer | Walt Disney Animation Studios (1994–present) |
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Notable work
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Bolt Tangled Zootopia Encanto |
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Byron P. Howard (born December 26, 1968) is an American artist who creates animated films. He is a talented animator, character designer, story artist, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is most famous for directing popular Walt Disney Animation Studios movies like Bolt (2008), Tangled (2010), Zootopia (2016), and Encanto (2021). He is also working on the upcoming Zootopia 2 (2025). Byron Howard is the first openly LGBT director to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature twice. He won for his work on Zootopia and Encanto.
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Early life and education
Byron Howard was born in Misawa, Japan. He grew up in the United States, near Philadelphia and in Issaquah, Washington. He came from a middle-class family. For his college education, he attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Career at Disney
Byron Howard always dreamed of working for Disney. When he was young, he even wrote to Frank Thomas, one of Disney's famous "Nine Old Men" animators. Howard started his career at Disney as a tour guide at Disney MGM Studios. He then joined the Disney Studio Internship program. In 1994, he was hired as an animator. He worked on many classic Disney films, including Pocahontas, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear. For his work on Brother Bear, he was nominated for an Annie Award in 2003 for Character Animation.
Directing animated films
Howard's first film as a director was the animated Disney movie Bolt. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2008. He co-directed Bolt with Chris Williams, focusing on designing the characters and their movements.
After Bolt, Howard directed other well-known Disney animated films. He co-directed Tangled (2010) with Nathan Greno. Later, he co-directed Zootopia (2016) with Rich Moore. Howard and Greno also co-directed and wrote a short animated film called Tangled Ever After. This short movie featured characters from Tangled and was shown in theaters before the 3D re-release of Beauty and the Beast in 2012.
After Zootopia, Byron Howard shared his knowledge at the 2016 View Conference. He talked about how Zootopia was made and taught a workshop on creating Disney characters. He then worked on Encanto with Lin-Manuel Miranda. Howard co-directed Encanto with Zootopia co-director Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith. Miranda wrote the songs for the film, which tells the story of a girl from a magical Colombian family who doesn't have magic herself.
On September 20, 2024, it was announced that Byron Howard would co-direct Zootopia 2 with Jared Bush. Bush had recently become the Chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. In 2009, Howard became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. This group is famous for giving out the Oscars.
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Film | Credited as | Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pocahontas | In-between-er | ||
| 1998 | Mulan | Animator | Animator for Yao and Fa Family Ancestors | |
| 2002 | Lilo & Stitch | Supervising Animator | Supervising Animator for Cobra Bubbles; Character Design | |
| 2003 | Brother Bear | Supervising Animator | Supervising Animator for Kenai - Bear | |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | Additional Story Artist | ||
| 2008 | Bolt | Director | Additional Screenplay Material | |
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog | Disney Story Trust | Uncredited | |
| 2010 | Tangled | Director | Guard 2/Thug 2 | |
| 2011 | Winnie the Pooh | Disney Story Trust | Uncredited | |
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | Additional Visual Development Artist | ||
| 2013 | Frozen | Disney Story Trust | Uncredited | |
| 2014 | Big Hero 6 | Creative Leadership | ||
| 2016 | Zootopia | Director, Story, Visual Development Artist | Bucky Oryx-Antlerson/Travis | Creative Leadership |
| 2016 | Moana | Creative Leadership | ||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Creative Leadership | ||
| 2019 | Frozen II | Executive Producer, Creative Leadership | ||
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | Additional Story, Creative Leadership | ||
| 2021 | Encanto | Director, Story, Creative Leadership | ||
| 2022 | Strange World | Creative Leadership | ||
| 2023 | Wish | Creative Leadership | ||
| 2024 | Moana 2 | Animation Director, Additional Story, Creative Leadership | ||
| 2025 | Zootopia 2 | Director, Creative Leadership |
Short films and series
| Year | Title | Credited as | Voice | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | John Henry | Artistic Supervisor | Character Animation | |
| 2009 | Super Rhino | Executive Producer | ||
| 2012 | Tangled Ever After | Director, Writer | Lantern Wrangler / Chef | |
| 2022 | Zootopia+ | Executive Producer, Creative Leadership | Bucky Oryx-Antlerson | Disney+ Original short films |
| 2024 | Iwájú | Executive Producer | Disney+ Original long-form limited series |
Awards
Byron Howard has won many awards for his animated films:
- 2008 – Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Bolt
- 2010 – Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Tangled
- 2017 – Won: Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Zootopia
- 2021 – Won: Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film for Encanto
- Academy Award (Oscar)
- 2008 – Nominated: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Bolt
- 2017 – Won: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Zootopia
- 2021 – Won: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Encanto
See also
In Spanish: Byron Howard para niños
- List of LGBT Academy Award winners and nominees
