Lee Unkrich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee Unkrich
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Unkrich at the 2009 Venice Film Festival
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| Born |
Lee Edward Unkrich
August 8, 1967 |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Employer | Pixar Animation Studios (1994–2019) |
| Spouse(s) |
Laura Century
(m. 1993) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Toy Story 3 (2010) Coco (2017) |
Lee Edward Unkrich (born August 8, 1967) is an American film director, editor, and writer. He is famous for his work at Pixar, a well-known animation studio. He joined Pixar in 1994 as an editor.
Later, he became a co-director for the popular movie Toy Story 2 (1999). After that, he also helped direct Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003). Lee Unkrich then directed his first solo movie, Toy Story 3 (2010).
Both Toy Story 3 and his other movie, Coco (2017), won two Academy Awards. These awards were for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song. After working at Pixar for 25 years, Unkrich retired in 2019. He wanted to spend more time with his family and explore other interests.
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Early Life and Career
Lee Unkrich grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He was the only child of Emilie and Robert Unkrich. His father was a veteran of World War II and also an artist. As a young person, Unkrich enjoyed acting at The Cleveland Play House.
He went to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He graduated from there in 1990. Before joining Pixar, Unkrich worked in television for several years. He was an editor and a director for TV shows.
In 1994, Pixar hired him for a short four-week job. But he ended up staying with the company for 25 years! He was the Vice-President of Editorial and Layout at Pixar. In 2011, he received an award from the University of Southern California. This award recognized his important contributions to movies.
On January 18, 2019, Unkrich announced he was leaving Pixar. He said he wanted to spend time with his family. He also wanted to follow other interests he had put aside. In 2023, it was shared that Unkrich has sometimes helped Pixar as a consultant since leaving.
In late 2022, he announced he had finished editing a book. The book was about the movie The Shining. It was written by J. W. Rinzler. In 2023, a special collector's edition of the book was released. Unkrich edited the book and also helped write it.
Personal Life
Lee Unkrich is married to Laura Century. They have three children together.
Filmography
Features
| Year | Title | Director | (Original) Story by |
Film Editor |
Executive Producer |
Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Toy Story | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | No | No | Supervising | No | Additional Voices | |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | Co-Director | No | Yes | No | Red Rocker | Additional Story Material |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Co-Director | No | Additional | No | Additional Voices | |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo | Co-Director | No | Supervising | No | Additional Voices | |
| 2004 | The Incredibles | No | No | No | No | Brain Trust - uncredited | |
| 2006 | Cars | No | No | Additional | No | ||
| 2007 | Ratatouille | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2008 | WALL-E | No | No | No | No | Pixar Senior Creative Team | |
| 2009 | Up | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Jack-In-The-Box / Scotch-Taped Monkey | Additional Screenplay Material Pixar Senior Creative Team |
| 2011 | Cars 2 | No | No | No | No | Pixar Senior Creative Team | |
| 2012 | Brave | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2013 | Monsters University | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2015 | Inside Out | No | No | No | No | ||
| The Good Dinosaur | No | No | No | Yes | |||
| 2016 | Finding Dory | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2017 | Cars 3 | No | No | No | No | ||
| Coco | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Elote Skeleton | ||
| 2018 | Incredibles 2 | No | No | No | No | ||
| 2019 | Toy Story 4 | No | No | Additional | Yes | ||
| 2020 | Onward | No | No | Additional | No | ||
| Soul | No | No | No | No | Special Thanks | ||
| 2021 | Luca | No | No | No | No | Pixar Senior Creative Team | |
| 2022 | Turning Red | No | No | No | No | ||
| Lightyear | No | No | No | No | |||
| 2023 | Elemental | No | No | No | No |
Television Work
- Prison Stories: Women on the Inside (1991) (production assistant)
- Silk Stalkings (1991) (assistant editor, editor, director)
- Renegade (1993) (assistant editor)
- Betrayed by Love (1994) (assistant editor)
- Separated by Murder (1995) (editor)
Documentaries
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Pixar Story | Himself |
| 2022 | Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to 'Lightyear' |
Short Films and TV Specials
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | For the Birds | Thanks |
| 2002 | Mike's New Car | Special Thanks |
| 2008 | Presto | |
| 2011 | Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation | |
| 2013 | The Blue Umbrella | |
| Toy Story of Terror! | Extra Special Thanks | |
| 2014 | Toy Story That Time Forgot | |
| Lava | Special Thanks | |
| 2015 | Sanjay's Super Team | |
| 2016 | Piper | |
| 2018 | La Noria | |
| 2019 | Float | |
| 2020 | Loop | Story Trust |
| 2021 | Pixar Popcorn: A Day in the Life of the Dead | Special Thanks |
| 2022 | Cars on the Road: Gettin’ Hitched | Pixar Senior Creative Team |
See also
In Spanish: Lee Unkrich para niños
