Stephen John Anderson is an American storyboard artist, screenwriter, film director, and voice actor.
Career
Anderson attended the
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
, where he also served as a story instructor for four years.
Anderson joined
Walt Disney Animation Studios
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 ...
in 1999 as a story artist on ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...
''. Prior to joining Disney, Anderson worked as an animator at
Hyperion Animation on ''
Rover Dangerfield
''Rover Dangerfield'' is a 1991 American animated musical comedy film starring the voice talent of comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who also wrote and co-produced the film. It is about a street dog named Rover, who is owned by a Las Vegas showgirl. ...
'' and ''
Bébé's Kids
''Bebe's Kids'' (also marketed as ''Robin Harris' Bébé's Kids'') is a 1992 American adult animated comedy film produced by Hyperion Studio for Paramount Pictures. Directed by Bruce W. Smith, in his directorial debut, it is based upon comedian ...
''.
Following ''Tarzan'', Anderson served as story supervisor for ''
The Emperor's New Groove
''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated slapstick comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Mark Dindal and pr ...
'' and ''
Brother Bear
''Brother Bear'' is a 2003 American animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 44th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Wa ...
''. He later directed ''
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 ...
'' and co-directed ''
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard.
The first collection of stories about the character w ...
''. After the release of ''Meet the Robinsons'' he pitched an idea for a feature called "The Earth and the Sky", which would have been ''
The Fox and the Hound
''The Fox and the Hound'' is a 1981 American animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. The 24th Disney animated feature film, the film tells the st ...
'' with a boy and a dragon. But when DreamWorks announced their movie ''
How to Train Your Dragon
''How to Train Your Dragon'' (abbreviated ''HTTYD'') is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: ' ...
'', which had similar story elements, the idea was dropped. On February 10, 2016, Anderson announced he was working on a new project.
Anderson currently resides in
Canyon Country, California
Canyon Country is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Santa Clarita, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies along the Santa Clara River between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountain ...
, with his wife, Heather, and their son, Jacob.
Credits
Feature films
Short films
Video
*1992 – ''
Itsy Bitsy Spider
"Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "Incy Wincy Spider" in Australia and Great Britain, and several other similar-sounding names) is a popular nursery rhyme and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends, and rea ...
'' (character animator)
*1996 – ''Toto Lost in New York'' (director, character designer, storyboard artist)
*1996 – ''Virtual Oz'' (character designer)
*1997 – ''Journey Beneath the Sea'' (director)
*1997 – ''Underground Adventure'' (director)
Television
*1993 – ''
Itsy Bitsy Spider
"Itsy Bitsy Spider" (also known as "Incy Wincy Spider" in Australia and Great Britain, and several other similar-sounding names) is a popular nursery rhyme and fingerplay that describes the adventures of a spider as it ascends, descends, and rea ...
'' (director)
*2021 – ''
Monsters at Work
''Monsters at Work'' is an American computer-animated streaming television series that debuted on Disney+ on July 7, 2021, as part of the ''Monsters, Inc.'' media franchise.
A direct continuation of the original 2001 film, it features the voic ...
'' (supervising director and voice director)
Comic books
*1996 – ''Poop Jelly'' (
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
) – writer/artist for one short story
*2001 – ''Short Stack'' (anthology) – writer/artist for one short story
*2008 – ''Who is Rocket Johnson?'' (anthology) – writer/artist for one short story
See also
*
Don Hall, who also works with Anderson on some Disney movies, along with co-directing 2011's ''Winnie the Pooh.''
References
External links
*
Stephen Andersonon
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
Stephen Anderson's website
American animated film directors
Animators from Georgia (U.S. state)
American male voice actors
American voice directors
Film directors from Georgia (U.S. state)
California Institute of the Arts alumni
Living people
1968 births
People from Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California
Film directors from California
Walt Disney Animation Studios people
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