Enrico Casarosa

Last updated

Enrico Casarosa
Enrico Casarosa 2014 (cropped).jpg
Casarosa in 2014
Born (1971-11-20) 20 November 1971 (age 52)
Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Alma mater School of Visual Arts
Fashion Institute of Technology
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • storyboard artist
Years active1996–present
Employers
SpouseMarit Casarosa [1]
Children1

Enrico Casarosa (born 20 November 1971) [2] [3] is an Italian director, screenwriter and storyboard artist. Best known for his work at Pixar, he has directed the short film La Luna (2011) and the feature film Luca (2021), which both were nominated for Academy Awards. [4]

Contents

Early life

Casarosa was born in Genoa, Italy, but moved to New York City in his twenties, to study animation at the School of Visual Arts and Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Career

Casarosa began his professional career as a background designer and storyboard artist on several animated TV series, including 101 Dalmatians: The Series and PB&J Otter . [5] Before joining Pixar, he worked as a storyboard artist at Blue Sky Studios on Ice Age and Robots .

In 2002, Casarosa joined Pixar, where he worked as a story artist on Cars , Ratatouille , Up and Cars 2 . [6] In late 2004, Casarosa started a drawing marathon community called SketchCrawl and has been organizing the event ever since. [7] In 2011, his short film La Luna premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, [8] and was released theatrically with Pixar's Brave in 2012. [4]

He then worked as head of story on The Good Dinosaur when Bob Peterson was directing the project beginning in 2011, and as a story artist on Coco . [9] [10]

Casarosa most recently directed the Pixar Animation Studios film Luca , released on Disney+ on 18 June 2021, in the United States. [11] [12] [13] The film received generally positive reviews from critics for its nostalgic feel and acting and the film won a Hollywood Critics Association award for Best Picture.

In October 2022, Cararosa was confirmed to be developing another original Pixar feature film. [14] [15]

Personal life

Casarosa currently resides in San Francisco with his wife Marit and daughter Fio. [1]

Filmography

Films

YearTitle Director Story Story
Supervisor
Story
Artist
Other Voice
Role
Notes
2002 Ice Age NoNoNoYesNo
2005 Robots NoNoNoUncreditedNo [5]
2006 Cars NoNoNoUncreditedNo [16]
2007 Ratatouille NoNoNoYesNo
2009 Up NoNoNoYesNo
2011 Cars 2 NoNoNoYesNo
2015 The Good Dinosaur NoNoAdditionalNoNo
2017 Coco NoNoNoYesYesPixar Senior Creative Team [15]
2018 Incredibles 2 NoNoNoNoYes
2019 Toy Story 4 NoNoNoNoYes
2020 Onward NoNoNoNoYes
Soul NoNoNoNoYes
2021 Luca YesYesNoNoYesCard Player / Angry Fisherman
2022 Turning Red NoNoNoNoYes
Lightyear NoNoNoNoYes
2023 Elemental NoNoNoNoYes
2024 Inside Out 2 NoNoNoNoYes
2025 Elio NoNoNoNoYes
2026 Toy Story 5 NoNoNoNoYes

Shorts

YearTitle Director Writer Story
Artist
Executive
Producer
2011 La Luna YesYesNoNo
2016 Piper NoNoYesNo
2021 Ciao Alberto NoNoNoYes

Featurettes and TV

YearTitleRole
1996 Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders 13 episodes
Background design, storyboard revision
1997The Secret of AnastasiaDirect-to-video
Lead character model designer, background layout designer
The Amazing Feats of Young Hercules
1997–1998 101 Dalmatians: The Series 23 episodes
Storyboard artist, storyboard revision artist, designer
1998–2000 PB&J Otter 18 episodes
Background artist, storyboard artist

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

AssociationYearCategoryWorkResultRef(s)
Academy Awards 2012 Best Animated Short Film La Luna Nominated [17]
2022 Best Animated Feature Luca Nominated [18]
Annie Awards 2016 Outstanding Achievement for Storyboarding in a Feature Production The Good Dinosaur Nominated [19]
2022 Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production Luca Nominated [20]
British Academy Film Awards 2022 Best Animated Film Luca Nominated [21]
Children's and Family Emmy Awards 2022 Outstanding Short Form Program Ciao Alberto Nominated [22]
Golden Globe Awards 202 Best Animated Feature Film Luca Nominated [23]

Special projects

In 2008, Enrico Casarosa (along with Ronnie del Carmen, Daisuke Tsutsumi and Yukino Pang) initiated the Totoro Forest Project, a fundraising exhibition/auction to support the non-profit Totoro Forest Foundation. [24] This initiative also produced a corresponding art book reprinting the various pieces contributed and included the likes of James Jean, Charles Vess, Iain McCaig and William Joyce among others. [25]

Related Research Articles

<i>My Neighbor Totoro</i> 1988 film by Hayao Miyazaki

My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. It stars the voices of Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto and Hitoshi Takagi, and focuses on two young sisters and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Selick</span> American filmmaker (born 1952)

Charles Henry Selick Jr. is an American filmmaker and animator, best known for directing the stop-motion animated films The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Monkeybone (2001), Coraline (2009), and Wendell & Wild (2022). Selick is also known for his collaborations with the late voice actor and artist Joe Ranft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lasseter</span> American filmmaker (born 1957)

John Alan Lasseter is an American film director, producer, and animator. He has served as the Head of Animation at Skydance Animation since 2019. Previously, he acted as the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Animation Studios</span> American animation studio

Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene from its first synchronized sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928). Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney after the closure of Laugh-O-Gram Studio, it is the oldest-running animation studio in the world. It is currently organized as a division of Walt Disney Studios and is headquartered at the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, California. Since its foundation, the studio has produced 62 feature films, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Wish (2023), and hundreds of short films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Docter</span> American filmmaker (born 1968)

Peter Hans Docter is an American filmmaker and animator. He was credited as the director for the Pixar animated feature films Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020), and has served as the company's chief creative officer (CCO) since 2018. From his nine Academy Award nominations, he is a record-three time recipient of Best Animated Feature for Up, Inside Out and Soul. Docter has also won six Annie Awards from nine nominations, a BAFTA Children's Film Award and a Hochi Film Award. He describes himself as a "geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Ranft</span> American screenwriter (1960–2005)

Joseph Henry Ranft was an American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor. He worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. His younger brother Jerome Ranft is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie del Carmen</span> Filipino-American storyboard artist (born 1959)

Ronaldo del Carmen is a Filipino writer, director, storyboard artist, illustrator, and voice actor. He co-directed and co-wrote the story for the Pixar film Inside Out (2015), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the first Filipino to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Sohn</span> American filmmaker (born 1977)

Peter Sohn is an American filmmaker, animator, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He is best known for directing the Pixar animated films The Good Dinosaur (2015) and Elemental (2023), the latter of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He also voiced Emile in Ratatouille (2007), Squishy in Monsters University (2013), Ciccio in Luca (2021), and Sox in Lightyear (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Scanlon</span> American filmmaker (born 1976)

Daniel Scanlon is an American filmmaker, storyboard artist, and animator. He is best known for directing the Pixar animated films Monsters University (2013) and Onward (2020), the latter of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Daisuke Tsutsumi is a Japanese animator and illustrator living in San Francisco, California. He is a former art director of Pixar.

<i>Toy Story</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise created by Pixar

Toy Story is an American media franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios and owned by The Walt Disney Company. It centers on toys that, unknown to humans, are secretly living, sentient creatures. It began in 1995 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, which focuses on a diverse group of toys featuring a classic cowboy doll named Sheriff Woody and a modern spaceman action figure named Buzz Lightyear.

<i>La Luna</i> (2011 film) 2011 American film

La Luna is a 2011 American animated short film, directed and written by Enrico Casarosa in his directorial debut. The film is loosely based on Italo Calvino's short story "The Distance of the Moon."

Harley Jessup is an American production designer and visual effects art director who has been nominated for two visual effects Academy Awards, and won once. Currently working at Pixar Animation Studios, Jessup has served as production designer for Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, Cars 2, Presto, The Good Dinosaur and Pixar's animated feature, Coco. Before coming to Pixar, Jessup was production designer on Walt Disney Pictures' James and the Giant Peach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Cooley</span> American filmmaker (born 1979)

Joshua Cooley is an American filmmaker, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He is best known for directing the films Toy Story 4 (2019) and the upcoming Transformers One (2024), the former of which he won for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film Inside Out (2015), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Soul</i> (2020 film) Pixar film

Soul is a 2020 American animated fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Pete Docter and co-directed by Kemp Powers, both of whom co-wrote it with Mike Jones, and produced by Dana Murray. The film stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, and Angela Bassett. It follows Joe Gardner (Foxx), a middle school teacher and aspiring pianist who falls into a coma following an accident and seeks to reunite his separated soul and body in time for his big break as a jazz musician.

<i>Luca</i> (2021 film) Pixar film

Luca is a 2021 American animated coming-of-age fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Enrico Casarosa in his feature directorial debut, produced by Andrea Warren and written by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones from a story by Casarosa, Andrews, and Simon Stephenson. It stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo, Marco Barricelli, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Peter Sohn, Lorenzo Crisci, Marina Massironi, and Sandy Martin in supporting roles.

<i>Ciao Alberto</i> 2021 American animated short film

Ciao Alberto is a 2021 American animated short film written and directed by McKenna Jean Harris, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Set after the events of the 2021 Pixar film Luca, the short was released on November 12, 2021, on Disney+. Like the movie, it received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its animation, humor, and emotional weight, with positive messages being well-received.

<i>Luca</i> (soundtrack) 2021 film score by Dan Romer

Luca (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to Disney/Pixar's 2021 film of the same name, produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The album, featuring original score composed by Dan Romer, was released on the Walt Disney Records label on June 18, 2021, coinciding the same day as the film's streaming release on Disney+. The film further includes Italian songs by Mina, Edoardo Bennato, Gianni Morandi, Rita Pavone and Quartetto Cetra, and excerpts from operas by Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini.

<i>Inside Out</i> (franchise) Pixar media franchise

Inside Out is an American media franchise created by Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen. It takes place inside the mind of a girl named Riley, where multiple personified emotions administer her thoughts and actions. The franchise is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by its parent company Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It began with the 2015 film of the same name, and was followed by Inside Out 2 (2024). The franchise also includes a short film, a animated series, several video games, and two theme park attractions.

References

  1. 1 2 Andrew Wheeler (10 November 2008). "Review: 'The Venice Chronicles' by Enrico Casarosa". ComicM!x. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  2. Enrico Casarosa (20 November 2011). "hey Biden stole my birthday!". Twitter.
  3. Enrico Casarosa (19 October 2021). "I'm from 71. I turn 50 in a month or so". Twitter.
  4. 1 2 "Nominees for the 84th Academy Awards". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  5. 1 2 Rizvi, Samad (6 May 2011). "Get To Know 'La Luna' Director Enrico Casarosa". Pixar Times. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  6. Sarto, Dan (13 February 2012). "Oscar 2012: Pixar's Enrico Casarosa and Kevin Reher Talk 'La Luna'". Animation World Network . Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  7. "SketchCrawl™ – drawing marathons from around the world". www.sketchcrawl.com. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  8. Casarosa, Enrico (7 June 2011). "La Luna – the poster". Enrico's nlog. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  9. Patches, Matt (3 October 2011). "Exclusive: Enrico Casarosa on His Whimsical, New Pixar Short 'La Luna'". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  10. "Pixar's Luca Interview: Enrico Casarosa And Andrea Warren". Screen Rant. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. Desowitz, Bill (30 July 2020). "Pixar Sets Summer 2021 Release for Italian Coming-of-Age 'Luca' Feature". IndieWire . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  12. Rubin, Rebecaa (30 July 2020). "Pixar Shares Details About Next Original Film 'Luca'". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  13. Julie & T.J. Wolsos (30 July 2020). "Pixar's Next Film, 'LUCA' Coming to Theaters June 2021 — Directed by Enrico Casarosa". Pixar Post. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  14. @sketchcrawl (7 October 2022). "A sequel is not currently in the works. I love Luca and it's characters of course … but I'm developing a new original film" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  15. 1 2 "Pete Docter previews Pixar's future: Inside Out Disney+ series, more Monsters, Inc., and more". EW. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  16. Beck, Jerry (14 February 2012). "Oscar Focus: Enrico Casarosa Talks "La Luna"". Cartoon Brew . Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  17. "The 84th Academy Awards | 2012". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  18. "The 94th Academy Awards | 2022". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  19. Flores, Terry (1 December 2015). "'Inside Out,' 'Good Dinosaur' Lead Annie Award Nominations". Variety . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  20. "49th Annie Awards". ASIFA-Hollywood . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  21. "Film in 2022 | BAFTA Awards". British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  22. "NATAS announces nominations for first annual Children's & Family Emmys" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  23. "Luca | Golden Globes". Hollywood Foreign Press Association . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  24. Gallo, Irene (21 July 2008). "Dice Tsutsumi on The Totoro Forest Project". Tor.com . Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  25. Parker, Charley (6 September 2008). "The Totoro Forest Project". Lines and Colors.