Update (2:32pm): . The car plunged 130 feet and crashed into the ocean. The third friend, Eric Frierson, got away with minor injuries. Mr. Ranft, 45, was head of story writing at Pixar and was one of the young artists who helped revitalize the animated film industry in the 1980s and '90s. On Wednesday, the staff at Pixar, where Mr. Ranft worked for 14 years, was called into the atrium of the firm's Emeryville headquarters and told of his death. OTOH the car went into the ocean, so the impact per se might not have caused the deaths. John and I had a pact that when he directed his first feature, I was going to work on it, Ranft told The Times. He and Tim Burton hit it off immediately too. On August 16, 2005, Ranft and his friend Eric Frierson were passengers in Ranft's 2004 Honda Element, which was being driven by another friend, Elegba Earl. tweets: { Henry Selick called him "the story giant of our generation. "A spokeswoman for the Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner's Office confirmed Wednesday that Ranft was one of two people who died when the 2004 Honda Element they were traveling in veered off the road while heading . As a child, Ranft developed a love for magic, storytelling, film and comedy. His favorite writers were Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. Golden Globes Best Picture Winners by Tomatometer, 100 Best Computer-Animated Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer, 49 Best Stop-Motion Animated Movies of All Time, The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Features Sad Bo-Katan, a Bad Baby, and a Pirate Problem, The 5 Most Anticipated Movies of March 2023, The Mandalorian Creators Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni on Grogus Force Training and the Darksabers Significance, Copyright Fandango. Before Pixar, he was a leading member of the story department at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he was a writer on 1991's Beauty and the Beast and 1994's The Lion King. Following his death, most of Ranft's voice roles were taken up by his younger brother Jerome Ranft. His final film was Cars. } type: 'profile', Born in Pasadena, California and raised in Whittier, California, Ranft spent much of his youth practicing magic tricks and playing the accordion. He had already worked for Disney and I believe I saw him on TV win an Oscar for his work at Pixar, but the few times I saw him over the years he was just Joe. [9] Ranft did early drawings for the character of Finn McMissile in an unused scene from the film Cars, and his drawings were later used in creating the character for Cars 2. As always with Joe it was about accentuating the positive and finding what works with people. ", After finding a home at Pixar, he worked as a story editor on titles such as "A Bugs Life" and both "Toy Story" films. My heart goes out to him today and for nothing to do with animation. More than anything in his life, his quiet and committed work with those less fortunate was his true passion. In lieu of flowers, the Ranft family respectfully requests that donations be made to the Joseph Henry Ranft Memorial Fund, and sent care of Pixar Animation Studios, 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, 94608. "[6] In honor of Ranft, in Selick's animated film production Coraline, the moving SUV that moves Coraline into her new apartment is emblazoned with a "Ranft Moving, Inc." logo. Ranft reunited with Lasseter in 1992 to help transform Pixar into a powerhouse animation studio. Earl, who was driving, lost control of their 2004 Honda Element, veered off the road and over a cliff. Last week, Ranft and his friends, Elegba Earl, 32, and Eric Frierson, 39, were driving northbound on Highway 1 in Mendocino County, Calif., en route to take part in a retreat for a mentoring program. On August 16, 2005, Ranft and his friend Eric Frierson were . Joseph Henry Ranft was born in Pasadena, California on March 13, 1960, and raised in Whittier. Eventually we all met at the atrium. The movers themselves are modeled after Ranft and his brother Jerome; Jerome Ranft voiced one of the movers. interval: 30000, He worked on story development for all of Pixar's feature film releases, most recently as Head of Story on Cars. At age 15, he became a member of the Magic Castle Junior Group. He was hospitalized with moderate injuries at Mendocino Coast Hospital, according to officer Robert Simas of the CHP office in Ukiah. He was 45. Earl, the driver, mismanaged a hairpin turn and the car spun off of the roadside cliff, crashing onto the banks . Cars was dedicated to his memory. Share. Animators: Bill Tytla Art Babbitt Lee Blair Preston Blair Fred Moore Shamus Culhane Cy Young Don Lusk Norman Ferguson Hal King Jack Hannah Dick Kinney Hal Ambro Ken O'Brien Judge Whitaker Bill Justice Don Bluth Gary Goldman Charles A. Nichols Blaine Gibson John Ewing Walt Stanchfield Fred Hellmich Amby Paliwoda Wilfred Jackson Xavier Atencio Ben Sharpsteen Earl Hurd Dale Oliver Eric Cleworth David Hand Fred Spencer Julius Svendsen Kenneth Muse Rudolf Ising Hugh Harman Friz Freleng Walt Kelly Leo Salkin John Dehner I knew thats what I wanted to try to accomplish.. He was a big part of our lives and we loved him and loved working with him. 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 Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo. Ranft, who was 45, died during the production of Cars, which he co-directed and voice acted in. Signature Musicians: Robert B. Sherman Richard M. Sherman Alan Menken Kristen Anderson-Lopez Robert Lopez Lin-Manuel Miranda Howard Ashman Tim Rice Phil Collins Stephen Schwartz Marc Shaiman Danny Troob It's hard to imagine a world without Joe Ranft and the joy and fun he brought to all of us on a daily basis.". Yes, at 47. The film and tie-in game are dedicated to his memory, as is Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, on which Ranft was executive producer. Aug. 19, 2005. All rights reserved. . The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? He was hospitalized with moderate injuries. Also killed was the driver, Elegba Earl, 32, of Los Angeles. The JH Movie Collection's Official Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. He had also worked on story for THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LION KING, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT and THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, among other films. and Eric Frierson, 39, were driving northbound on Highway 1 in Mendocino County, Calif., en route to take part in a retreat for a mentoring program. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, and voice actor, who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. Cornerstone of Pixar's creative team is killed when the car he was driving in went into the ocean. }, The car rolled down 120 feet before plunging into 14 feet of water. More recently, he served as executive producer on Tim Burtons Corpse Bride, due this fall. Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, and magician who worked for Pixar and Disney at Disney Animation and Disney Television Animation. Joe Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor, and magician, who was the key creative member of Pixar and was one of the original members of the Brain Trust. and stuff, but Eric always comes back to like; 'What does the audience perceive? The cars driver, Elegba Earl, was also killed, while another passenger, Eric Frierson, survived the accident. Elegba Earl. Ranft has been recognized by colleagues and in various tributes in animated films released after his death. 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. DVDs are back and I like it! His favorite magicians were John Carney, Daryl, Michael Ammar, Ricky Jay and Jimmy Grippo.[4]. Another passenger, Eric Frierson, survived by escaping through the sun roof and received moderate injuries. Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, voice actor and magician who worked for Pixar and Disney. V3.1. Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, director, voice actor and magician, who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. The SUV plunged 130 feet into the mouth of the Navarro River in Mendocino County, California. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins, Eric Larson, Disney Family Album: Part Three. Bill Plympton took me there to meet him and the 3 of us had a lovely lunch together. Ranft's voice-over work for Pixar included such characters as Heimlich in A Bug's Life and Wheezy the Penguin in Toy Story 2. After graduating from Monte Vista High School, Whittier, in 1978, Ranft began studying in the character . He was a classic example of a maladjusted child with a dark imagination finding great success in the film industry. They called a company meeting at 10am, but the news was already known by then. But Ranft spent most of his time drawing storyboards for animated films. Update (1:20am): An obit from Joe Ranfts hometown newspaper, the WHITTIER DAILY NEWS. His first five years at Disney, Joe Ranft worked on a number of television projects that never got made. . loop: false, . No wonder he made a fantastic voice actor later. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 -- August 16, 2005) was a beloved god of animation, {{Creator/Pixar}}ian, {{Creator/Disney}} animator and writer, magician, impressionist, actor, and prankster extraordinaire. Earl suddenly lost control and . Eric Frierson, 48. The car fell 130 feet over the side of the road, overturning twice before it landed in the water near the mouth of the Navarro River where it meets the Pacific Ocean, the CHP said.". You know, it's like, animation is so complex; 'How many drawings are in there?' His brother, Jerome Ranft, is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar films. The SUV tumbled down a cliff and plunged 130 feet (40 m) into the mouth . Ranft was on his way to his annual retreat with the Mosaic Foundation with two friends from the Watts, CA, area, Frierson and Earl, whom he had sponsored for the spiritual retreat in Mendocino. Their paths had diverged when Lasseter went to Pixar to direct a series of innovative computer-animated shorts while Ranft did story work at Skellington Productions on Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996), which were distributed by Disney. Update (12:21pm): A report on this blog by Tara about the scene at Pixar: Yesterday the main story guy at Pixar, Joe Ranft, passed away in a car accident near Mendocino. Ranft and his friend Eric Frierson were passengers in Ranft's 2004 Honda Element on August 16, 2005, driven by another friend, Elegba Earl. "Joe was an important and beloved member of the Pixar family, and his loss is of great sorrow to all of us and to the animation industry as a whole . A famous example of "a genius that died long before their time," he is the subject of many a tribute and dedication, even a non-fiction book. Joe Ranft, story supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios for more than a decade and an Oscar-nommed co-writer of "Toy Story" as well as "A Bug's Life," died Aug. 16 in a car accident in Mendocino . Producers: Walt Disney Ron Miller Ken Anderson Don Duckwall Perce Pearce Margaret J. Winkler, Story Trust Directors: Ron Clements Chris Buck Byron Howard Don Hall Chris Williams Rich Moore Stephen J. Anderson Details regarding the time and location are available by calling (510) 752-4455. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. Another passenger, Eric Frierson, 39, also of Los Angeles, was hospitalized with moderate injuries at Mendocino Coast District Hospital in Fort Bragg, according to . width: 'auto', [5][6] Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. [11] In the film Inside Out, the character of Jangles the clown is based on a character created by Ranft outside of Pixar named "Buttocks the Clown",[12] according to co-director Ronnie del Carmen and story artist Domee Shi. Great stories of how to and why. My kids asked me who JOE RANFT WAS, WELL KNOW WE ALL KNOW. He worked on The Lion King, The Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters, Inc and Finding Nemo. "His drawing at the time was really crude, but he was the sweetest, funniest guy," Selick said. Even though they were just still drawings, they screamed to be animated, Ranft recalled. He was the voice of Heimlich the ravenous caterpillar in "A Bug's Life," Jacques the cleaner shrimp in "Finding Nemo," and Wheezy the Penguin in 1999's "Toy Story 2," and he provided voices for "Monster's, Inc." (2001) and last year's "The Incredibles.". While at Disney, Ranft became friends with John Lasseter, who later became a top executive at Pixar Animation Studios. The movers themselves are modeled after Ranft and his brother Jerome, who voiced one of the movers. Sorry for his family. but when it got to the end. Theatrical Release Of Soul, Storytelling Through Clothes: How Marvelous Designer 12 Is Used To Create Richer And More Complex Characters, How Vector Art Makes Your Cartoon Animator 5 Characters Look Better, Animate The City: Animation, Cartoons, And Comics Return For Kilkenny Animated, St. Louis Gets New Animation Studio As Hair Love Producer Carl Reed Launches Composition Media, Burny Mattinson, Disney Legend And The Companys Longest-Employed Worker, Dies At 87, U.S. Ranft's first film was The Brave Little Toaster in 1987. A memorial service has been set for Joe Ranft, one of the animation industrys most respected and talented story specialists, who died in a car accident near Mendocino, California, on Aug. 16, 2005 (see AWN report). He taught and mentored a whole generation of creators, I cant even begin to describe how dearly he will be missed. The third person in the car, whom the CHP identified as Eric Frierson, 39, of Los Angeles, survived by climbing through the sun roof. Earl suddenly lost control and crashed through a guard rail while northbound on Highway 1. "This is not only a huge personal loss for all of us at Pixar, but a tremendous loss to moviegoers the world over," said John Lasseter, Pixar's creative head and a close friend of Mr. Ranft's since their student days at Los Angeles' CalArts in the late 1970s. [14] Additionally, the 2020 film Soul includes his name on a wall of previous mentors to the character 22. Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 August 16, 2005) was a beloved god of animation, Pixarian, Disney animator and writer, magician, impressionist, actor, and prankster extraordinaire. Furthering into his Disney career, he was bumped up into the Feature Animation department, where he received training from Eric Larson. Directors: Clyde Geronimi Hamilton Luske Jack Kinney Ted Berman Richard Rich Nathan Greno George Scribner Riley Thomson Dick Lundy Jack King Burt Gillett } The Pixar fixture had just completed story work on the studios latest feature, CARS. If you need to cancel your entry, please use this form to request your cancellation. He also served as story supervisor on TOY STORY 2, and A BUGS LIFE, and was a story artist on MONSTERS, INC. Besides a good story man Joe was also the voice in many Pixar films such as Hemlich the Caterpillar in A BUGS LIFE and Wheezy the toy penguin in TOY STORY 2. Commenting on Ranfts passing, Lasseter said, This is not only a huge personal loss for all of us at Pixar, but a tremendous loss to moviegoers the world over. California. The secret of Pixar's magic can be found at CalArts Obituary by the former President of the Northern California Disneyana Enthusiasts club, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Articles with invalid date parameter in template, also screenwriter story artist and directing animator, Animation screenplay and story supervisor, Story Supervisor, Co-director, screenwritter, dedication & Writter. During his first five years with Disney, Joe worked on a number of television projects that were never produced. His spirit and legacy will live on through the hundreds of stories that are being told and will be told by all the artists and directors he mentored and inspired. Ranft later spoke about Larson's training: "He always reminds me of just the fundamental things that I tend to forget. Ranft moved to Pixar to serve as story supervisor on Lasseters Toy Story, the first computer-animated feature. April 2023 List - as of 2/17/2023. The California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at about 3 p.m. Tuesday as the driver tried to regain control of the car after swerving when he headed into a tight left curve. 2023 Cartoon Brew, LLC. A giant heart, a giant talent, a giant smile-maker. scrollbar: true, "We'd do hundreds of drawings, and Joe was always the guy who was able to go back in and say, 'This is about the process; let's try it again.' Copyright Office Says AI-Generated Images Do Not Qualify For Copyright Protection, Animation Coming To Netflix, Disney+, Criterion, Hulu, And More In March 2023, Netflix Unveils Pokmon Concierge Stop-Motion Series With First Teaser, Warner Bros. Script error: No such module "WikidataCheck". JOE RANFT The car plunged 130 feet into the mouth of the Navarro River in Mendocino County, California. Joe Ranft (March 13, 1960 - August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor, who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. REST IN PEACE. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/JoeRanft. Another passenger, Eric Frierson, survived by escaping through the sun roof; he received moderate injuries. And after the story was toldwe had met new animated friends that would be with us for our entire lives. During his first five years with Disney, Joe worked on a number of television projects[1] that were never produced. He was a story giant of our generation.". Tumbled down a cliff suddenly lost control of their 2004 Honda Element, veered off the road over! Elegba earl, was also killed, while another passenger, Eric Frierson were, '' Selick said: obit! Were taken up by his younger brother Jerome ; Jerome Ranft his death, most of 's. 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