Ralph Zondag is a

storyboard artist A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions. Work A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and marke ...

and

animation director An animation director is either the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or television, and animated segment for a live action film or television show, or the animator in charge of co ...

Life and career

Zondag studied animation at

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west-Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Founded in ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada from 1983 to 1984. He started his career at the

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

-based

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

studio in working on projects like ''

The Care Bears Movie ''The Care Bears Movie'' is a 1985 animated musical fantasy film directed by Arna Selznick from a screenplay by Peter Sauder. This was the second feature film from the Canadian animation studio Nelvana (after the 1983 film '' Rock & Rule''), ...

'' (1985). He later joined

Sullivan Bluth Studios Don Bluth Entertainment (formerly Sullivan Bluth Studios) was an Irish-American animation studio established in 1979 by animator Don Bluth. Bluth and several colleagues, all of whom were former Disney animators, left Disney on September 13, 1979, ...

in Ireland and worked as animation director on ''

The Land Before Time ''The Land Before Time'' is an American animated film series and media franchise created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss, distributed by Universal Pictures and centered on dinosaurs. The series began in 1988 with the eponymous ''The Land Befor ...

'' (1988), in which he animated the characters Petrie and the Sharptooth, and ''

All Dogs Go to Heaven ''All Dogs Go to Heaven'' is a 1989 animated musical fantasy adventure comedy-drama film directed by Don Bluth and co-directed by Gary Goldman (his directorial debut) and Dan Kuenster. It tells the story of Charlie B. Barkin (voiced by Burt Re ...

'' (1989). He also directed television commercials while working at Sullivan Bluth. In 1993, he made his directorial debut for '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' based on the book of the same name, along with his brother Dick. Zondag joined

Walt Disney Feature Animation 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 fro ...

during the early 1990s and co-wrote ''

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

'' in 1995. In 2000, he and Eric Leighton directed ''

Dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

'' as a part of the Disney Computer Graphics Unit. Zondag was nominated for

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desi ...

for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production. He worked on projects such as ''

Rugrats Go Wild ''Rugrats Go Wild'' is a 2003 American animated crossover adventure film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rugrats'' and ''The Wild Thornberrys''. It is the third and final installment in the ''Rugrats'' film series and the se ...

'' (2003), ''

Home on the Range "Home on the Range" is a classic cowboy song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Home" in 1872 or 1873 ...

'' (2004), '' Balto III: Wings of Change'' (2004), '' Valiant'' (2005), and ''

Curious George Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series. Geor ...

'' (2006). Zondag worked as storyboard artist on ''

Ultimate Avengers 2 ''Marvel Animated Features'' (''MAF'') is a series of the first eight direct-to-video animated superhero films made by MLG Productions, a joint venture between Marvel Studios (later Marvel Animation) and Lions Gate Entertainment. History In ...

'', ''

Flushed Away ''Flushed Away'' is a 2006 computer-animated adventure comedy film directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell, produced by Cecil Kramer, David Sproxton, and Peter Lord, and written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Chris Lloyd, Joe Keenan and W ...

'' (2006), ''

The Golden Compass ''Northern Lights'' (titled ''The Golden Compass'' in North America and some other countries) is a young-adult fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, published in 1995 by Scholastic UK. Set in a parallel universe, it follows the journey of Lyra Be ...

'' (2007), and ''

Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily voic ...

'' (2008). He worked the 3-D animated features ''

Meet the Robinsons ''Meet the Robinsons'' is a 2007 American computer-animated science-fiction comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, 47th animated film produc ...

'' (2007) and '' Bolt'' (2008). Zondag also created concept art during the pre-production of ''

Tangled ''Tangled'' is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Loosely based on the Grimms' Fairy Tales, German fairy tale ''Rapunzel'' ...

'' (2010). His most recent credits are the educational TV series ''

Space Racers ''Space Racers'' is an American CGI STEM-focused educational animated television series featuring the cadets of the Stardust Space Academy. The show began as a web series on March 22, 2011 entitled Space Race, then debuted as a television series ...

'' and the Christian-themed film ''

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

Filmography

Animation department

* ''

'' (character designer) 2017 * ''

'' (TV Series) (storyboard supervisor - 6 episodes) 2016-2017 * ''

NFL Rush Zone ''NFL Rush Zone'' is an American action-adventure animated television series. In the first season, the show centers on an 11-year-old football fan named Ish, who learns he must protect shards of a power source called "The Core", hidden at 32 NFL ...

'' (TV Series) (storyboard artist - 4 episodes) 2013 * ''

Superbook , also known as , is a Christian anime television series from the early 1980s, initially produced at Tatsunoko Productions and TV Tokyo in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States, and rebooted in 2 ...

'' (TV Series) (revisions - 1 episode, 2013) (Revisions - 1 episode, 2013) * '' Bolt'' (animator) 2008 * ''

'' (animator: July Films) 2006 * '' Valiant'' (character developer) 2005 * ''

'' (additional animator) 2003 * ''

'' (directing animator) 1989 * ''

'' (directing animator) 1988 * ''

An American Tail ''An American Tail'' is a 1986 American Animated film, animated musical film, musical adventure film directed by Don Bluth from a screenplay by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss and a story by David Kirschner, Freudberg and Geiss. The film features t ...

'' (animator) 1986 * ''

Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins ''Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins'' is a 1985 American animated television special that premiered on March 29, 1985. This is the third and final Strawberry Shortcake television special from Nelvana and the last one to feature the American ...

'' (TV movie) (animator) 1985 * ''

Ewoks The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the '' Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...

'' (character layout artist - 13 episodes) 1985 * '' Star Wars: Droids'' (character posing artist - 13 episodes) 1985 * ''

'' (animator) 1985

Art department

* ''

'' (TV Series) (storyboard artist - 11 episodes, 2014-2018) (storyboard supervisor - 1 episode, 2017) * '' Barbie: Dolphin Magic'' (storyboard artist) 2017 * ''

Animal Crackers An animal cracker is a particular type of cracker, baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal either at a zoo or a circus, such as a lion, a tiger, a bear, or an elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and slightly sweet, but ...

'' (storyboard artist) 2017 * ''

Peter Rabbit Peter Rabbit is a fictional animal character in various children's stories by English author Beatrix Potter. A mischievous, adventurous young rabbit who wears a blue jacket, he first appeared in ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' in 1902, and subs ...

'' (TV Series) (storyboards - 9 episodes) 2012-2013 * '' Dragons: Riders of Berk'' (TV Series) (storyboard artist - 3 episodes) 2012-2013 * ''

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...

'' (TV Series) (storyboard artist - 13 episodes) 2011-2012 * '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'' (storyboard artist) 2008 * '' Ultimate Avengers II'' (storyboard artist) 2006 * ''

The Adventures of Brer Rabbit ''The Adventures of Brer Rabbit'' is a 2006 American animated comedy film loosely inspired by the African American Br'er Rabbit stories popularized by Joel Chandler Harris. The film notably features an all-black cast, including Nick Cannon as th ...

'' (Video) (storyboard artist) 2006 * '' Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows'' (storyboard artist) 2005 * ''

Father of the Pride ''Father of the Pride'' is a 2004–2005 American adult animated sitcom created by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation that was part of a short-lived trend of CGI series in prime-time network television (after '' Game Over''). The series ...

'' (storyboard artist - 1 episode) 2004 * ''

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas ''Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas'' is a 2004 American Christmas package film directed by Matthew O'Callaghan. Segments of the anthology film were directed by Peggy Holmes, O'Callaghan, Theresa Cullen, and Carole Holliday. It was produced by ...

'' (storyboard artist) 2004 * '' Balto III: Wings of Change'' (storyboard artist) 2004 * '' Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers'' (storyboard artist) 2004 * ''

Clifford's Puppy Days ''Clifford's Puppy Days'' is an animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS Kids from September 1, 2003 to February 25, 2006. The prequel to the 2000–2003 series ''Clifford the Big Red Dog'', it features the adventures o ...

'' (TV Series) (storyboard artist - 1 episode) 2004 * ''

A Troll in Central Park ''A Troll in Central Park'' (released in some countries as ''Stanley's Magic Garden'') is a 1994 American animated musical fantasy comedy film co-directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. The film stars the voice talents of Dom DeLuise, Cloris Leachm ...

'' (storyboard artist) 1994 * '' Rock-A-Doodle'' (storyboard artist) 1991

Director

* ''

'' 2000 * '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' 1993

Miscellaneous crew

* ''

'' (TV series) (revisions - 2 episodes, 2013 - 2014) (Revisions - 1 episode, 2013) 2013-2014 * '' Rock-A-Doodle'' (sequence director) 1991

Writer

* '' The Little Matchgirl'' (Short) (story development) 2006 * ''

'' (additional story) 2004 * ''

'' (story) 2000 * ''

'' (story) 1995

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zondag, Ralph Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Canadian animated film directors Canadian storyboard artists Canadian animators Walt Disney Animation Studios people