Rob Minkoff | |
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![]() Minkoff in 2011 | |
Born | Robert Ralph Minkoff August 11, 1962 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
Education | Palo Alto High School |
Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1985–present |
Notable work | The Lion King Stuart Little The Haunted Mansion The Forbidden Kingdom Flypaper Mr. Peabody & Sherman Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Signature | |
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Robert Ralph Minkoff (born August 11, 1962) [1] is an American director, animator, and producer. He is best known for co-directing The Lion King (along with Roger Allers), and live-action films including Stuart Little (1999), Stuart Little 2 (2002), The Haunted Mansion (2003), and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). In recent decades, he returned to feature animation with Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022). His wife, Crystal Kung Minkoff, was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills .
Minkoff was born to a Jewish family [2] in Palo Alto, California to Jack Robert Minkoff (1922–1998) and Tola Fay Minkoff (née Stebel). [3] When he was 15, during a babysitting job, he discovered the book The Art of Walt Disney by Christopher Finch on a coffee table. Minkoff recalled, "I cracked it open and it was filled with so much incredible artwork from the golden age of animation." Enamored with the art of animation, he asked his parents for a copy, which he received for his next birthday. [4]
He studied at Palo Alto High School and graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in the early 1980s in the Character Animation department. During his studies, Minkoff met Chuck Jones and credited him as an inspiration. He remembered, "I met Chuck during my first year at CalArts and he became a mentor to me ... I had always been a big fan of his and having the opportunity to learn from him has really meant a great deal to me professionally as well as personally." [5]
During the summer of 1982, Minkoff received an internship at Walt Disney Productions, and was apprenticed by Eric Larson, a senior animator who was one of the "Nine Old Men". The following year, he was employed as an in-between artist for The Black Cauldron (1985). He was then a supervising animator for The Great Mouse Detective (1986) for the character Olivia, before working as a character designer for The Brave Little Toaster (1987). He also wrote the song "Good Company" for Oliver & Company (1988), and subsequently served as a character animator for The Little Mermaid (1989). On the film, he provided character designs and early animation tests for the villain Ursula. [5]
In 1988, Who Framed Roger Rabbit had become a critical and commercial success, which revived a new interest in theatrical cartoon shorts. To produce further Roger Rabbit media, Disney opened the Feature Animation Florida studio in Orlando, located within the Disney-MGM Studios theme park. Minkoff then became a director for Tummy Trouble (1989) accompanied with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). [6] [7] He directed the next cartoon short Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990), which was attached with Dick Tracy (1990). [8] Simultaneously, Minkoff was approached to direct The Rescuers Down Under (1990) but turned down the offer because he wanted to be the sole director. He was also offered to direct Beauty and the Beast (1991), but was turned down because he wanted creative control. [9] [10] He later directed a Mickey Mouse short, which was shown at the Disney-MGM Studios, titled Mickey's Audition (1992). [5]
Eager to direct a live-action film, Minkoff was handed the script for a feature-length Roger Rabbit sequel, and was hired to develop the project. However, after a year in development, the project was cancelled. [11] On April 1, 1992, he became the co-director for The Lion King (1994) alongside Roger Allers. [5] On the film, the directorial process began with several sequences divided between Allers and Minkoff. Each director brought their own vision to the sequences, but there was a constant exchange of viewpoints to better ensure a stylistic uniformity. [12] In a 2011 interview, Minkoff stated he had directed the "Circle of Life" sequence while Allers directed the "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" sequence. [13]
In January 1995, it was reported he was to direct an untitled "fantasy feature" film that was meant to be his first live-action project. [14] The project went unproduced, in which Minkoff explained: "I had told Jeffrey [Katzenberg] before he left Disney that I wanted to do a live-action picture, and he was trying to get me to commit to doing an animated picture before that ... We were in the middle of figuring out what was the right step to take when he resigned [in 1994]." [15] Sometime later, he worked briefly with Robert Zemeckis on a film project with Universal Pictures and a version of Mr. Popper's Penguins with producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. [16] In 1997, Minkoff re-teamed with Zadan and Meron on a film adaptation of Into the Woods for Columbia Pictures. [17] When development had stalled, Minkoff learned from the studio's production head about Stuart Little. After subsequently reading M. Night Shyamalan's script for the film, he agreed to direct. [16]
In 1998, Sony Pictures had announced Minkoff was directing Stuart Little (1999). [18] Principal photography had spanned 12 weeks before wrapping in mid-November 1998. [19] Released in December 1999, Stuart Little was a commercial success, grossing $300 million worldwide. In November 2000, Minkoff, along with his producing partner Jason Clark, had signed a three-year first-look deal at Columbia Pictures, in which he also agreed to direct the sequel, Stuart Little 2 (2002). [20] Soon after, Minkoff was attached to direct a live-action Jetsons film and a remake of The Sorcerer's Apprentice , [21] [22] which both went unproduced. In 2002, Minkoff was hired to direct The Haunted Mansion (2003) starring Eddie Murphy. The film reunited him with producer Don Hahn, who had both worked on The Lion King (1994). [23]
Sometime in the 2000s, Minkoff founded his own production company, Sprocketdyne Entertainment. In June 2003, it was reported that Minkoff's Sprocketdyne Entertainment was developing a live-action/CGI feature film titled Mr. Peabody & Sherman (based on Mister Peabody from the animated series The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends ) with Sony Pictures. [24] [25] At one point, he took the project to Walden Media, but the studio was occupied with The Chronicles of Narnia film series. Minkoff then toyed with self-financing the film himself, before bringing the film to DreamWorks Animation in 2005. In 2011, DreamWorks Animation announced it was producing the project as a computer-animated film, which reunited Minkoff with Jeffrey Katzenberg. [26] Mr. Peabody & Sherman was finally released in March 2014. [27] [28]
In 2010, Minkoff had been attached to direct the fantasy action adventure Chinese Odyssey. [29] Minkoff served as a director on the 2018 animated Netflix original animated series of the late Anna Dewdney picture book franchise Llama Llama , overseeing all aspects of production. [30] In November 2015, Minkoff and his producing partner Pietro Ventani had signed a two-picture deal with Le Vision Pictures to co-develop and produce a CGI-animated adaptation of Wolf Totem based on the Jiang Rong novel and a live-action comedy titled Silkworms. [31]
In 2010, Minkoff was pitched the idea for Blazing Samurai by writer Ed Stone, who had initially envisioned an all-human cast. However, Minkoff suggested an all-animal cast, and in 2014, he was attached as a producer. [32] [33] After years in development, Minkoff took the director's chair after Chris Bailey had stepped down. The film was retitled Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank , and released in theaters on July 15, 2022. [34]
Minkoff met his wife Crystal Kung Minkoff, a former cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills , at a party in his office in 2003, and they attended the Finding Nemo premiere as their first date. Minkoff proposed to her on Valentine's Day 2006, and they married on September 29, 2007. [35] They have a son named Max and a daughter named Zoe. [36] [37]
He participates as a member of the jury for the NYICFF, a local New York City film festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18. [38]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | Tummy Trouble | Yes | Story | No | Animated scenes |
1990 | Roller Coaster Rabbit | Yes | No | No | |
1993 | Trail Mix-Up | No | Story | Yes | |
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | The Lion King | Yes | No | Co-directed with Roger Allers |
1999 | Stuart Little | Yes | No | |
2002 | Stuart Little 2 | Yes | Executive | |
2003 | The Haunted Mansion | Yes | Executive | |
2008 | The Forbidden Kingdom | Yes | No | |
2011 | Flypaper | Yes | No | |
2014 | Mr. Peabody & Sherman | Yes | No | Also voiced Creepy Kid |
2022 | Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank | Yes | Yes | Co-directed with Mark Koetsier and Chris Bailey |
Animator
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1985 | The Black Cauldron | |
1986 | The Great Mouse Detective | Supervising animator "Olivia" |
1987 | Sport Goofy in Soccermania | |
Amazing Stories | Episode "Family Dog" | |
The Brave Little Toaster | Character Designer | |
1988 | Technological Threat | |
1989 | The Little Mermaid |
Other roles
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1988 | Oliver & Company | Music/lyrics: "Good Company" |
1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Pre-production script development |
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Stuart Little | No | Yes | |
2009 | Leverage | Yes | No | Episode "The Mile High Job" |
2010 | Aftermath | Yes | Yes | Creator |
2015–17 | The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show | No | Yes | |
2018 | Rainbow Rangers | No | Yes | Co-creator |
2021–24 | The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills | No | No | Cameo (seasons 11–13) |
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. The film was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Moira Kelly, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Rowan Atkinson, Niketa Calame, and Robert Guillaume. Its original songs were written by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, with a score by Hans Zimmer. Inspired by African wildlife, the story is modelled primarily on William Shakespeare's stage play Hamlet with some influence from the Biblical stories of Joseph and Moses, and follows a young heir apparent who is forced to flee after his uncle kills his father and usurps the throne. After growing up in exile, the rightful king returns to challenge the usurper and end his tyrannical rule over the kingdom.
Mr. Peabody is an anthropomorphic cartoon dog who appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s television animated series The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, produced by Jay Ward. Peabody appeared in the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments created by Ted Key, and he was voiced by Bill Scott. In 2014, he was featured in the animated film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman. From 2015 to 2017, he appeared in a television series based on the film.
Andreas Deja is a Polish-born German-American character animator most noted for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Deja's work includes serving as supervising animator on characters in several Disney animated films, including the Disney villains Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin, and Scar in The Lion King, the titular character in Hercules, and Lilo Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch.
Mark Dindal is an American filmmaker, animator and voice actor. Best known for his work at Disney, he directed the company's 2000 animated film The Emperor's New Groove (2000), as well as their 2005 film Chicken Little. Prior, he was credited with animation work on the Disney Renaissance films The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992), as well as Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992). In 1997, he briefly moved to Warner Bros. Animation and made his directorial debut with the film Cats Don't Dance, which won an Annie Award for Best Animated Film. Dindal directed the 2024 animated film The Garfield Movie for Sony Pictures and Alcon Entertainment, which was met with commercial success despite negative reviews.
Jay Ward Productions, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Costa Mesa, California. It was founded in 1948 by American animator Jay Ward. As of 2022, the studio was headed by Ward's daughter, Tiffany Ward, and granddaughter, vice president Amber Ward.
Roger Allers is an American film director, screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, and playwright. He is best known for co-directing Disney's The Lion King (1994), the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, and for writing the Broadway adaptation of the same name. He also directed Sony Pictures Animation's first feature-length animated film, Open Season (2006) and the animated adaptation of The Prophet.
Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a 2014 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, PDI/DreamWorks, and Bullwinkle Studios, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film is based on characters from the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments of the animated television series The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends produced by Jay Ward. It was directed by Rob Minkoff and produced by Alex Schwartz and Denise Nolan Cascino, from a screenplay by Craig Wright. Tiffany Ward, daughter of series co-creator Jay Ward, served as executive producer. Mr. Peabody & Sherman features the voices of Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann, and Allison Janney. In the film, Mr. Peabody (Burrell) and his adoptive human son Sherman (Charles) use the WABAC to embark on time travel adventures. When Sherman accidentally rips a hole by taking the WABAC without permission to impress Penny Peterson (Winter), they must find themselves to repair history and save the future.
Kevin Lima is an American film director who has directed A Goofy Movie (1995), Tarzan (1999), 102 Dalmatians (2000), and Enchanted (2007). He is married to Brenda Chapman, the head of story for The Lion King (1994) and the co-director of The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Brave (2012).
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The Lion King is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. The success of animated original 1994 American feature film, The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, led to a direct-to-video sequel and prequel, a live-action remake in 2019, a television film sequel, two spin-off television series, three educational shorts, several video games, merchandise, and the third-longest-running musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards including Best Musical. The franchise is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The franchise as a whole has EGOT-ed, meaning it has won the four biggest awards of American show business.
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Max Joseph Charles is an American actor and photographer. He appeared in the 2012 film The Three Stooges, as young Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, and had a role in the ABC comedy science fiction series The Neighbors. In 2014, Charles voiced Sherman in DreamWorks' Mr. Peabody & Sherman. He played the recurring role of Spin in Disney XD's Lab Rats: Bionic Island. He voiced Kion on the Disney Junior series The Lion Guard, and Harvey on the Nickelodeon series Harvey Beaks. He also played Zach Goodweather on seasons two through four on the TV series The Strain, replacing Ben Hyland from the first season. Max Charles also voiced Buddy G in the direct-to-video Scooby-Doo film Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown.
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Minkoff then admitted that he is now the father of a 10-month-old son and that the movie has special meaning with the bonding of father and son.