Josh Cooley

Last updated

Josh Cooley
Josh Cooley by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Cooley in 2024
Born (1979-05-23) May 23, 1979 (age 45) [1]
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • storyboard artist
  • voice actor
Years active2003–present
Employers
Awards Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 4 (2019)

Joshua Cooley (born May 23, 1979) is an American filmmaker and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing the animated films Toy Story 4 (2019) and Transformers One (2024), with the former winning 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.

Contents

Career

Cooley was recruited by Joe Ranft at Pixar, where he started his career as an intern, [2] [3] mostly working as a storyboard artist on films including The Incredibles (2004), the first two films of the Cars franchise (2006-2011), Ratatouille (2007), and Up (2009). [4] In 2009, Cooley wrote and directed a short film George & A.J. for Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures. [4]

In 2015, Cooley worked as a screenwriter and storyboard supervisor on the film Inside Out , which was released to critical acclaim. Cooley received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work on the film, alongside Pete Docter (the film's director), Ronnie Del Carmen (co-director), and Meg LeFauve. [5] The same year, he wrote and directed another short film titled Riley's First Date? . [6] [5]

Following the success of Inside Out, Cooley was tapped by John Lasseter and screenwriter Andrew Stanton to co-direct Toy Story 4 . Lasseter ended up setting aside his directorial duties in 2016, [7] making Cooley the sole director. Toy Story 4 was Cooley's directorial debut. Upon release, the film received critical acclaim, and Cooley took home his first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. [8] Cooley left Pixar in March 2020. [9]

In 2024, Cooley directed an animated Transformers film, titled Transformers One , for Paramount Pictures. [10] The film is set on the Transformers home planet of Cybertron and focuses on the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron. [10]

On May 19, 2020, it was reported that Cooley will write and direct a live-action adaptation of the children's book Malamander by Thomas Taylor for Sony Pictures, [9] marking his first live-action film. In addition, on July 10, 2020, it was announced that Cooley would be the writer and director of the film Little Monsters, starring Universal Monsters characters, for Universal Pictures. [11] On June 23, 2021, Cooley was set to write a film based on the Disney Parks attraction Tower of Terror, with Scarlett Johansson starring and producing the project, after previously working together on Transformers One. [12]

Filmography

Films

YearTitle Director Writer Story
Supervisor
Story
Artist
Other Voice
Role
Notes
2004 The Incredibles NoNoNoUncreditedNo [4]
2006 Cars NoNoNoAdditionalNo
2007 Ratatouille NoNoNoYesNo
2009 Up NoNoNoYesYesOmega
2011 Cars 2 NoNoAdditionalNoNo
2015 Inside Out NoScreenplayYesNoYesJangles
2019 Toy Story 4 YesOriginal StoryNoNoYesAdditional Screenplay Material
Pixar Senior Creative Team
2020 We Bare Bears: The Movie NoNoNoNoYesPainting ElephantAdditional Voices
Soul NoNoNoNoYesAdditional Dialogue Contributions
Pixar Senior Creative Team
2024 Transformers One YesNoNoNoYesSkywarp [10]
TBAMalamanderYesYesNoNoNo [9]
Little MonstersYesYesNoNoNo [11]
Tower of TerrorNoYesNoNoNo [13]

Shorts

YearTitle Director Writer Story
Artist
Editor Other Voice Role Notes
2005MindwalkNoNoNoFilmNo
2009Calendar ConfloptionNoNoYesNoNo [14]
George and A.J. YesYesNoNoNo
2010 Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales NoNoNoNoYesAdditional VoicesEpisodes 8-9
2011 Toy Story Toons: Small Fry NoNoNoStoryYesCashier / Lizard Wizard
2013 Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs NoNoNoNoYesBug / Additional VoicesEpisodes 1-3
Toy Story of Terror! NoNoNoNoYesOfficer PhillipsTV special
2015 Riley's First Date? YesYesNoNoYesDad's Sadness
2021 22 vs. Earth NoYesNoNoNo Disney+ Original Short Film

Other credits

YearTitleRole
2009TracyCameraman #2, Extras, Camera Operator, Artist
2015 The Good Dinosaur Special Thanks
2017 Coco Pixar Senior Creative Team
2018 Incredibles 2
2019-20 Forky Asks a Question Special Thanks
2020Lamp Life [15]
Onward Special Thanks, Pixar Senior Creative Team

Related Research Articles

<i>Toy Story</i> 1995 Pixar film

Toy Story is a 1995 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the Toy Story franchise, it was the first entirely computer-animated feature film, as well as the first feature film from Pixar. The film was directed by John Lasseter, written by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow based on a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft, produced by Bonnie Arnold and Ralph Guggenheim, and features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, and Jim Varney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pixar</span> American computer animation studio (founded 1986)

Pixar Animation Studios, known simply as Pixar, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Since 2006, Pixar has been a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of Disney Entertainment, a segment of the Walt Disney Company.

<i>Toy Story 2</i> 1999 Pixar film

Toy Story 2 is a 1999 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to Toy Story (1995) and the second installment in the Toy Story franchise. The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich, and produced by Helene Plotkin and Karen Robert Jackson, from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, and Chris Webb, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, Brannon, and Pete Docter. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, R. Lee Ermey, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Pidgeon reprise their roles from the first Toy Story film. In the film, Woody is stolen by a greedy toy collector, prompting Buzz Lightyear and his friends to save him, but Woody is then tempted by the idea of immortality in a museum.

<i>A Bugs Life</i> 1998 American animated film

A Bug's Life is a 1998 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's second feature-length film, following Toy Story (1995). The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Andrew Stanton, and produced by Darla K. Anderson and Kevin Reher, from a screenplay written by Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ranft. It stars the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Hayden Panettiere. In the film, a misfit ant named Flik, looks for "tough warriors" to save his ant colony from a protection racket run by a gang of grasshoppers. However, the "warriors" he brings back were a troupe of Circus Bugs. The film's plot was initially inspired by Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper.

<i>Tin Toy</i> 1988 short film by John Lasseter

Tin Toy is a 1988 American animated short film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter. The short film, which runs for five minutes, stars Tinny, a tin one-man band toy, trying to escape from Billy, a human baby. The third short film produced by the company's small animation division, it was a risky investment: due to the low revenue produced by Pixar's main product, the Pixar Image Computer, the company was under financial constraints.

<i>Toy Story 3</i> 2010 Pixar film

Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the third installment in the Toy Story series and the sequel to Toy Story 2 (1999). It was directed by Lee Unkrich, the editor of the first two films and the co-director of Toy Story 2, produced by Darla K. Anderson, and written by Michael Arndt, while Unkrich wrote the story along with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton, respectively, director and co-writer of the first two films. The film's ensemble voice cast includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Jeff Pidgeon, Jodi Benson, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, and R. Lee Ermey. In Toy Story 3, Andy Davis, now a teenager, is going to college. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the other toys are accidentally donated to Sunnyside Daycare, a daycare center, by Andy's mother, and the toys must decide where their loyalties lie.

<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">Pete Docter</span> American filmmaker (born 1968)

Peter Hans Docter is an American filmmaker and animator, who has served as chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar since 2018. He has directed the company's animated films Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020). 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">Andrew Stanton</span> American filmmaker (born 1965)

Andrew Ayers Stanton is an American filmmaker and voice actor based at Pixar, which he joined in 1990. His film work includes co-writing and co-directing Pixar's A Bug's Life (1998), directing Finding Nemo (2003) and its sequel Finding Dory (2016), WALL-E (2008), and the live-action film, Disney's John Carter (2012), and co-writing all five and directing the upcoming latter in Toy Story films (1995–2026) and Monsters, Inc. (2001).

<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.

<i>Cars 2</i> 2011 Pixar film

Cars 2 is a 2011 American animated spy comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to Cars (2006), the second film in the Cars franchise, and the 12th animated film from the studio. The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Brad Lewis, produced by Denise Ream, and written by Ben Queen, Lasseter, Lewis, and Dan Fogelman. In the film's ensemble voice cast, Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Guido Quaroni, Bonnie Hunt, and John Ratzenberger reprise their roles from the first film. George Carlin, who previously voiced Fillmore, died in 2008, and his role was passed to Lloyd Sherr. They are joined by newcomers Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, Eddie Izzard, and Thomas Kretschmann. In the film, Lightning McQueen and Mater agree to compete in the World Grand Prix, an international racing event showcasing a new alternative fuel called Allinol, but Mater inadvertently becomes involved in a dangerous espionage mission that puts both his and McQueen's life in jeopardy.

Doug Sweetland is an American animator and filmmaker. He wrote and directed the Pixar short film Presto (2008), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

<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>Toy Story 4</i> 2019 Pixar film

Toy Story 4 is a 2019 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the fourth installment in Pixar's Toy Story series and the sequel to Toy Story 3 (2010). It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom; the three also conceived the story alongside John Lasseter, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Valerie LaPointe, and Martin Hynes. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Jeff Pidgeon, Laurie Metcalf, John Morris, Joan Cusack, and Estelle Harris are among the actors who reprise their character roles from the first three films, and are joined by Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, and Ally Maki, who voice new characters. Set after the third film, Toy Story 4 follows Woody (Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Allen) as the pair and the other toys go on a road trip with Bonnie (McGraw), who creates Forky (Hale), a spork made with recycled materials from her school. Meanwhile, Woody is reunited with Bo Peep (Potts), and must decide where his loyalties lie.

<i>Transformers One</i> 2024 film by Josh Cooley

Transformers One is a 2024 American animated science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing duo of Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, based on a story by Barrer and Ferrari. The ensemble voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. It is set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers and depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Valerie LaPointe is an American director and storyboard artist for Pixar Animation Studios.

References

  1. Cooley, Josh [@CooleyUrFaceOff] (May 23, 2019). "Frank, I never told you that I was turned by my vampire master 400 years ago. I am immortal, birthdays mean nothing to me. But I accept your human congratulatory message" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019 via Twitter.
  2. "Twenty-Four Years and Beyond: Pixar Artists Who Worked on Every "Toy Story" Film". May 1, 2019. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  3. Brown, Phil (June 17, 2015). "Inside Pixar And Out With Josh Cooley". cgmagonline.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Murphy, Robert (October 6, 2010). "Josh Cooley gives an in-depth look at Pixar's creative process". siliconprairienews.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  5. 1 2 McFarland, K.M. (October 16, 2015). "4 Things Riley's First Date? Reveals About Pixar". wired.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  6. "Riley's First Date? Is a Sublime Follow-Up to Inside Out". disney.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  7. Hazelton, John (December 19, 2019). "'Toy Story 4' filmmakers on why the franchise needed another instalment". ScreenDaily . Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  8. "D23 Expo: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films". July 14, 2017. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 Kit, Borys (May 19, 2020). "'Toy Story 4' Director Josh Cooley to Tackle 'Malamander' for Sony Pictures (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 29, 2020). "Animated 'Transformers' Prequel Activated; 'Toy Story 4's Josh Cooley To Direct For Hasbro/eOne & Paramount". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Kit, Borys (July 10, 2020). "'Toy Story 4' Director Josh Cooley Tackling 'Little Monsters' for Universal (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  12. Sneider, Jeff (June 23, 2021). "Exclusive: Scarlett Johansson to Produce and Star in 'Tower of Terror' Movie for Disney". Collider. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  13. Couch, Aaron (June 23, 2021). "Scarlett Johansson and Disney Team for 'Tower of Terror'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  14. Lauer, Andy (March 11, 2009). ""Answer Man," "Food Inc." Among 2009 Sonoma International Film Festival Selections". IndieWire . Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  15. Prudom, Laura (January 29, 2020). "Disney Plus' Lamp Life Sneak Peek: What Happened to Bo Peep Between Toy Story 2 and 4? - IGN". IGN . Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.