Joe Ranft facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Ranft
Born	Joseph Henry Ranft (1960-03-13)March 13, 1960 Pasadena, California, U.S.
Died	August 16, 2005(2005-08-16) (aged 45) Mendocino County, California, U.S.
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:

• Heimlich the caterpillar in A Bug's Life
• Wheezy the penguin in Toy Story 2
• Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo

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

Short films and television specials

Documentaries

Video games

Theme parks

See also

In Spanish: Joe Ranft para niños