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Joe Ranft
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Born
Joseph Henry Ranft

(1960-03-13)March 13, 1960
Died August 16, 2005(2005-08-16) (aged 45)
Alma mater California Institute of the Arts
Occupation
  • Animator
  • writer
  • voice actor
Years active 1980–2005
Employer Walt Disney Animation Studios (1980–1999)
Pixar Animation Studios (1991–2005)
Spouse(s)
Sue Barry
(m. 1985)
Children 2
Relatives Jerome Ranft (brother)

Joseph Henry Ranft (born March 13, 1960 – died August 16, 2005) was a very talented American animator, writer, and voice actor. He worked for famous animation studios like Pixar Animation Studios and Disney. His younger brother, Jerome Ranft, is a sculptor who also worked on many Pixar movies.

Joe Ranft's first movie was The Brave Little Toaster in 1987. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for helping to write Toy Story (1995). He also co-directed the movie Cars (2006), which was his last project before he passed away.

Early Life and Interests

Joseph Henry Ranft was born in Pasadena, California, on March 13, 1960. He grew up in Whittier. His parents were James and Melissa Ranft.

From a young age, Joe loved magic, telling stories, movies, and comedy. When he was 15, he even joined a special group for young magicians called the Magic Castle Junior Group.

After finishing high school in 1978, Joe went to the California Institute of the Arts. There, he studied character animation. He studied alongside other future animation legends like John Lasseter and Brad Bird. After just two years, a student film he made called Good Humor impressed Disney. They offered him a job!

Working in Animation

In 1980, Joe Ranft started working at Disney as a writer and storyboard artist. Storyboard artists draw comic-book-like panels to plan out how a movie scene will look. For his first five years, he worked on TV projects that didn't get made.

Later, he moved to Disney's Feature Animation department. There, he was taught by an experienced animator named Eric Larson. Joe often said that Eric reminded him of the basics, like "What does the audience see?"

Around this time, Joe also studied and performed with an improv comedy group called The Groundlings. He stayed with Disney through the 1980s. He helped write the stories for many classic animated movies, including Oliver & Company, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. He also worked on The Brave Little Toaster in 1987 and James and the Giant Peach in 1996.

Joining Pixar

In 1991, Joe Ranft joined Pixar and became their head of story. He worked on all of Pixar's films until 2006. This included Toy Story, where he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also co-wrote the story for A Bug's Life and was a story supervisor on others.

Joe was also known for his voice acting in many Pixar films. He voiced characters like:

In the movie Monsters, Inc., a monster was named after him (J.J. Ranft). Many of the "scarers" in that film were named after Pixar staff.

Awards and Recognition

After his death, Joe Ranft was honored in many ways. In 2006, he was named a Disney Legend. In 2016, he received the Winsor McCay Award, which is a special award for animators who have achieved a lot in their careers.

His Legacy and Remembrance

On August 16, 2005, Joe Ranft, who was 45 years old, was in a car accident. He died during the making of the movie Cars, which he was co-directing and voicing characters in.

Both the Cars movie and its video game are dedicated to his memory. The movie Corpse Bride, which Joe was an executive producer for, is also dedicated to him.

Joe Ranft is remembered by his friends and colleagues. Many animated films released after his death have paid tribute to him:

  • In the movie Coraline, a moving truck has "Ranft Moving, Inc." written on it. The movers in the film are even based on Joe and his brother, Jerome.
  • Joe's brother, Jerome, took over many of Joe's voice roles after his passing.
  • The Blu-Ray and DVD re-release of Toy Story 2 includes a special feature called "Celebrating Our Friend Joe Ranft."
  • Joe did early drawings for a character named Finn McMissile in Cars. These drawings were later used to create the character for Cars 2.
  • John Lasseter, a close friend, said Joe was a main inspiration for the character Mater from the Cars movies.
  • In Inside Out, the character Jangles the clown is based on a character Joe created.
  • The end credits of the Pixar film Coco show a special digital display with pictures of many Pixar employees and their loved ones who had passed away, including Joe Ranft.
  • The 2020 film Soul includes his name on a wall of previous mentors to the character 22.

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Story
Supervisor
Story
Artist
Animator Executive
Producer
Other Voice Role Notes
1987 The Brave Little Toaster No Yes No Yes Directing No Yes Elmo St. Peters / Clown Animation Screen Story
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit No No No Yes No No No Animation: Storysketch
Oliver & Company No No No Yes No No No
1989 The Little Mermaid No No No Yes No No No Storyboards
1990 The Rescuers Down Under No Screenplay Yes No No No No Animation Screenplay
1991 Beauty and the Beast No No No Yes No No No
1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas No No Yes No No No Yes Igor
1994 The Lion King No No No Yes No No No
1995 Toy Story No Original Story Yes No No No Yes Lenny
1996 James and the Giant Peach No No Yes No No No
1998 A Bug's Life No Original Story Yes No No No Yes Heimlich / Fly
1999 Toy Story 2 No No Yes No No No Yes Wheezy / Heimlich Additional Story Material
Fantasia 2000 No No No Additional No No No Additional Artist: Story
2000 Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins No No No No No No Yes Wheezy Direct-to-video
2001 Monkeybone No No No No No No Yes Streetsquashed Rabbit
Monsters, Inc. No No No Yes No No Yes Pete "Claws" Ward Additional Story Material
2003 Finding Nemo No No No No No No Yes Jacques
2004 The Incredibles No No No No No No Yes Additional Voices
2005 Corpse Bride No No No No No Yes Yes "In Memory of" Dedication
2006 Cars Co-Director Yes Yes No No No Yes Red/Peterbilt

Short films and television specials

Year Title Writer Puppeteer Other Notes
1982 Fun with Mr. Future Yes No No
1983 Hansel and Gretel No Yes No TV special
2006 Mater and the Ghostlight Original Story No Yes End Credits Designer

Documentaries

Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Pixar Story Himself "In Loving Memory of" Dedication, Very Special Thanks
2009 Waking Sleeping Beauty caricaturist "In Memory of" Dedication

Video games

Year Title Voice role
1996 Toy Story Animated Storybook Lenny
1998 A Bug's Life: The Video Game Heimlich
2002 Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena Pete "Claws" Ward
2003 Finding Nemo: The Video Game Jacques
Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure Wheezy
2007 Cars Mater-National Championship Red (credit only)

Theme parks

Year Title Role Notes
2002–2018 Heimlich's Chew Chew Train Heimlich
2018–present Heimlich's Candy Corn Toss Heimlich Posthumous, archival audio

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Joe Ranft para niños

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