Jennifer Lee (filmmaker) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jennifer Lee
Lee in 2015
Born	Jennifer Michelle Rebecchi (1971-10-22) October 22, 1971 (age 53) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Education	University of New Hampshire (BA) Columbia University (MFA)
Occupation	screenwriter film director film producer playwright
Years active	2004–present
Employer	Walt Disney Animation Studios (2011–present)
Spouse(s)	Robert Joseph Monn ​ ​ (m. 1999, divorced)​ Alfred Molina ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	1
Awards	Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Frozen (2013)

Jennifer Michelle Lee (born October 22, 1971) is an American filmmaker and writer. She is famous for writing and directing the Disney movies Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019). Frozen won her an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Jennifer Lee was the first female chief creative officer (CCO) of Walt Disney Animation Studios. She was also the first woman to direct a feature film for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Her films have earned over $1 billion each, making her the first female director to achieve this twice.

Early life and education

Jennifer Michelle Rebecchi was born on October 22, 1971. Her parents were Linda Lee and Saverio Rebecchi. She grew up in East Providence, Rhode Island, with her older sister, Amy. After her parents divorced, Jennifer and Amy lived with their mother.

Jennifer and her sister both went to East Providence High School. They also both graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Jennifer earned a degree in English in 1992. After college, she moved to New York City. She worked as a graphic artist, designing audiobooks for Random House. As an adult, she started using her mother's maiden name, Lee, for her work. In 1995, she legally changed her last name to Lee.

Building a film career

Jennifer Lee earned a special degree in film from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2005. While studying there, she won several awards for her screenwriting. She also had her daughter during this time.

In 2009, her script called The Round Up was recognized in a screenwriting competition. It was later picked up by a film company.

In 2011, a former classmate from Columbia, Phil Johnston, asked Jennifer to join him at Disney Animation. She went to Burbank, California, to help write the movie Wreck-It Ralph. This was supposed to be a short eight-week job. However, it turned into a much longer commitment.

Working on Frozen

After Wreck-It Ralph, Jennifer became involved with Frozen. She started as a screenwriter. Later, she became a director alongside Chris Buck. When Jennifer joined the Frozen team, she helped change the story. It became more of a musical with more comedy. She worked closely with the songwriters, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, on the script.

Jennifer said that Frozen allowed her to celebrate "wild and wonderful" girls. She felt this was like her own childhood and her daughter, Agatha. Frozen was the highest-earning film directed by a woman in the U.S. for a while. Later, Wonder Woman earned more.

Inspiring others

In 2014, Jennifer Lee gave a speech at her old university, the University of New Hampshire. She talked about how she used to doubt herself. She learned to overcome this doubt and believe in herself. She told the students, "If I learned one thing it is that self-doubt is one of the most destructive forces." She encouraged them to believe they are "more than enough." The university then gave her an honorary degree.

More Disney projects

In 2014, it was announced that Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck would direct a short film. It featured the Frozen characters and was called Frozen Fever. It came out in 2015. Jennifer also helped with the stories for other Disney films. She received credit for "Creative Leadership" on Big Hero 6 (2014) and Moana (2016). She also helped develop the story for Zootopia (2016).

In 2014, it was reported that Jennifer's next big project would be a movie based on the book A Wrinkle in Time. She had loved the book for over 30 years. The movie, directed by Ava DuVernay, was released in 2018.

In 2015, Disney announced that Lee and Buck would direct a full-length sequel to Frozen, which became Frozen 2.

Leadership role and future films

In June 2018, Jennifer Lee became the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. This meant she was in charge of all the creative projects at the studio. She held this important role until 2024.

In September 2022, it was announced that Jennifer would write the screenplay for Disney's animated film Wish, which was released in November 2023.

In September 2024, Jennifer announced she was stepping down from her leadership role. She wanted to focus on making films full-time again. She will direct and write Frozen 3. She will also write and be an executive producer for Frozen 4. Jared Bush took over her role as chief creative officer.

Family life

Jennifer Lee married Robert Joseph Monn in 1999. They have a daughter named Agatha Lee Monn, born in 2003. Agatha even voiced young Anna for a part of the song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" in Frozen. Jennifer and Robert later divorced.

In 2019, Jennifer confirmed she was in a relationship with actor Alfred Molina. He was an actor in Frozen 2. They got married in August 2021. Their friend, actor Jonathan Groff, who introduced them, performed the wedding. They live in California with Jennifer's daughter.

Film projects

Movies

Short films and series

Other credits

Awards and recognition

Jennifer Lee has won many awards for her work in animation.

See also

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In Spanish: Jennifer Lee para niños