Joe Ranft

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. Ranft's first film credit was a writer for Fun with Mr. Future (1982), followed by his first feature film The Brave Little Toaster in 1987. He received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination as one of the writers of Toy Story (1995), and was also the co-director on Cars (2006), his final work before his death.

Joe Ranft studied at California Institute of the Arts. Training under Eric Larson is recorded. The recorded working language is English. Bill Peet is recorded as an influence. Employment is recorded with Pixar. Distinctions recorded are Disney Legends and Winsor McCay Award.

• Name — Joe Ranft • Birth Name — Joseph Henry Ranft • Born — 13 March 1960 • Birthplace — Pasadena, California, U.S. • Died — 16 August 2005 • Place of death — Mendocino County, California, U.S. • Education — California Institute of the Arts • Occupation — * Animator • screenwriter • storyboard artist • voice actor • Years Active — 1980–2005 • Employer — Walt Disney Feature Animation (1980–1999) Pixar Animation Studios (1992–2005) • Children — Jordan (Jordy) Ranft (actor; born 1991) Sophia Ranft (voice actress; born 1995) • Relatives — Jerome Ranft (brother; born 1966)

Joseph Henry Ranft was born in Pasadena, California, on March 13, 1960, and raised in Whittier. His parents were James and Melissa Ranft. As a child, Ranft developed a love for magic, storytelling, film and comedy. At age 15, he became a member of the Magic Castle Junior Group. After graduating from Monte Vista High School, Whittier, in 1978, Ranft began studying in the character animation program at the California Institute of the Arts alongside John Lasseter and Brad Bird. After two years, Ranft's student film Good Humor caught the attention of Disney animation executives, who offered him a job.

In 1980, Ranft joined Disney as a writer and storyboard artist. During his first five years with Disney, he worked on a number of television projects that were never produced. Later in his Disney career, he was promoted into the Feature Animation department, where he was mentored by Eric Larson. Ranft later spoke about Larson's training: "He always reminds me of just the fundamental things that I tend to forget. You know, it's like, animation is so complex; 'How many drawings are in there?' and stuff, but Eric always comes back to like; 'What does the audience perceive?'" Around this time, he studied under and began performing with the improvisational group, The Groundlings. Ranft stayed with Disney throughout the 1980s, writing the story on many animated features, including Oliver & Company, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. He also worked on The Brave Little Toaster in 1987 for Hyperion Animation and James and the Giant Peach in 1996 for Allied Filmmakers. Ranft reunited with Lasseter after joining Pixar in October 1992 as their head of story. There he worked on all of their films produced up to 2006; this included Toy Story (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay) and A Bug's Life, as the co-story writer and others as story supervisor. He also voiced characters in many of the films, including Heimlich the caterpillar in A Bug's Life, Wheezy the penguin in Toy Story 2 and its spin-off film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, and Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo, as well as providing vocalizations for Red the fire truck in Cars, which was released posthumously in 2006. In the film Monsters, Inc., Ranft had a monster named after him (J.J. Ranft) as most of the scarers in the film were named for Pixar staff. Ranft was also given lead story credit on The Brave Little Toaster (1987) and voiced Elmo St. Peters, the appliance salesman. His favorite writers were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. His favorite magicians were John Carney, Daryl, Michael Ammar, Ricky Jay and Jimmy Grippo. Ranft was posthumously honored in 2006 as a Disney Legend and in 2016 with the Winsor McCay Award, the lifetime achievement award for animators.

On August 16, 2005, Ranft, 45, and his friend Eric Frierson, 39, were passengers in Ranft's 2004 Honda Element, which was being driven by another friend, Elegba Earl, 32. Earl suddenly lost control and crashed through a guard rail while northbound on Highway 1 in Mendocino County, California. The SUV tumbled down a cliff and plunged 130 ft into the mouth of Navarro River, killing Ranft and Earl instantly. Frierson was injured, but survived by escaping through the sunroof. Cars (2006) and Corpse Bride (2005), for which he was respectively a director and producer, were released posthumously and dedicated to him. His remains were cremated.

Ranft's younger brother, Jerome (born 1966), is a character sculptor and voice actor. Ranft married Sue Barry in 1985. They had two children, Jordan "Jordy" and Sophia. Jordan (born 1991), is a actor and poet who performed voice roles during his childhood as Dot's Friend in A Bug's Life (1998) and Tad the longnose butterflyfish in Finding Nemo (2003, credited as Jordy Ranft), and he later appeared in the live-action short The Newish Testament (2018) as God, and Sophia (born 1995), is a voice actress who voiced Baby Smitty, the slug monster in Monsters, Inc. (2001).

• Year — Title — Writer — Puppeteer • 1983 — Hansel and Gretel • 1987 — Sport Goofy in Soccermania

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2007 — The Pixar Story — Himself — Film dedicated in memory • 2009 — Waking Sleeping Beauty — caricaturist

• Year — Title — Voice Role — Notes • 1996 — Toy Story Animated Storybook — Lenny • 1998 — A Bug's Life: The Video Game — Heimlich • A Bug's Life: Activity Center — Also known as A Bug's Life: Active Play • 1999 — Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue — Wheezy — Also archival audio • 2002 — Monsters, Inc. Scream Arena — Pete "Claws" Ward • 2003 — Finding Nemo: The Video Game — Jacques • Finding Nemo: Nemo's Underwater World of Fun • Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure — Wheezy • 2007 — Cars Mater-National Championship — Red — Final voice role; posthumous release, credit only

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2002–2018 — Heimlich's Chew Chew Train — Heimlich • 2018–present — Heimlich's Candy Corn Toss — Posthumous, archival audio

• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Story Supervisor — Story Artist — Animator — Executive Producer — Other — Voice Role — Notes • 1987 — The Brave Little Toaster — Directing — Elmo St. Peters/Clown • 1988 — Who Framed Roger Rabbit — Animation: Storysketch • Oliver & Company • 1989 — The Little Mermaid — Storyboards • 1990 — The Rescuers Down Under — Screenplay • 1991 — Beauty and the Beast • 1993 — The Nightmare Before Christmas — Igor • 1994 — The Lion King • 1995 — Toy Story — Original Story — Lenny • 1996 — James and the Giant Peach • 1998 — A Bug's Life — Original Story — Heimlich/Fly • 1999 — Toy Story 2 — Wheezy/Heimlich — Additional story material • Fantasia 2000 — Additional — Additional story artist • 2000 — Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins — Wheezy — Direct-to-video • 2001 — Monkeybone — Streetsquashed Rabbit • Monsters, Inc. — Pete "Claws" Ward — Additional story material • 2003 — Finding Nemo — Jacques • 2004 — The Incredibles — Additional Voices • 2005 — Corpse Bride — Posthumous release, dedicated in Ranft's memory • 2006 — Cars — Co-Director — Red/Peterbilt — Final film voice roles; posthumous release, dedicated in Ranft's memory

• Year — Title — Writer — Other — Notes • 1982 — Fun with Mr. Future • 2006 — Mater and the Ghostlight — Original Story, End credits designer