RATATOUILLE

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

BRAD BIRD (Screenwriter/Director) is the director of the Academy Award®-winning “The Incredibles,” the computer animated comedy-adventure from Pixar Animation Studios.  “The Incredibles,” based upon an original screenplay written by Bird, is about a family of super heroes forced to go undercover and adopt civilian identities. 

Prior to joining Pixar, Bird wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 1999 animated feature, “The Iron Giant,” which won the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature.

Bird began his first animated film at the age of 11, and finished it nearly three years later.  The film brought him to the attention of Walt Disney Studios where, at age 14, he was mentored by Milt Kahl, one of a distinguished group of Disney’s legendary animators known as the “Nine Old Men.”  Bird eventually worked as an animator at Disney and other studios.

Bird’s credits include acting as executive consultant on “The Simpsons,” the longest running and most celebrated animated television series of all time, and “King of the Hill.”  He also created, wrote, directed and co-produced the “Family Dog” episode of Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories,” and co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action feature “*batteries not included.”

BRAD LEWIS (Producer) joined Pixar Animation Studios in November 2001, bringing with him twenty years of film, theatre, television, and advertising production expertise.

      Prior to Pixar, Lewis spent thirteen years as a producer, executive producer, and executive vice-president of production at Pacific Data Images, a wholly owned subsidiary of DreamWorks Animation SKG.  He was a producer on the animated feature film “ANTZ” and amongst his other feature film production credits are “Forces of Nature,” “The Peacemaker” and “Broken Arrow.”

      Lewis produced television specials such as Hanna-Barbera’s “The Last Halloween,” for which he won an Emmy, and the first 3D episode of “The Simpsons.” He received a second Emmy for graphic design utilized on ABC’s “Monday Night Football.”  Additionally, Lewis’ outstanding commercial production work netted him two coveted Clios. 

      Lewis’ first break into the entertainment industry was as a personal production assistant on “The Merv Griffin Show,” and he also performed on-stage as a “dancing monster” in the national stage production of “Sesame Street Live!”

      Lewis graduated from Fresno State University with a bachelor of arts in Theatre, and lives in San Carlos, California, with his wife, son and daughter where he also currently serves as Vice Mayor.

 

JOHN LASSETER (Executive Producer) is chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and principal creative advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering.  He is a two-time Academy Award®-winning director and oversees all Pixar and Disney animated films and associated projects. Lasseter directed the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed films “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2” and “Cars.” Additionally, he executive produced “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles.”

In 2004, Lasseter was honored by the Art Directors Guild with its prestigious “Outstanding Contribution To Cinematic Imagery” award, and received an honorary degree from the American Film Institute.

Under Lasseter’s supervision, Pixar’s animated feature and short films have received a multitude of critical accolades and film industry honors.  He received a Special Achievement Oscar® in 1995 for his inspired leadership of the “Toy Story” team.  His work on “Toy Story” also resulted in an Academy Award®-nomination for “Best Original Screenplay,” the first time an animated feature had been recognized in that category.  “Finding Nemo,” released spring 2003, became the highest grossing animated feature of all time, and won the Oscar® for “Best Animated Feature Film.”

As creative director of Pixar, Lasseter enjoyed the critical acclaim and box office success of “The Incredibles” in 2004.  The film was recognized with a record-breaking 16 Annie Award nominations and several “Best Of” awards by The Wall Street Journal, American Film Institute, National Board of Review and many others.

Lasseter also has written, directed and animated a number of highly renowned short films and television commercials for Pixar, including “Luxo Jr..” (1986 Academy Award® nominee); “Red’s Dream” (1987); “Tin Toy” (1988 Academy Award® winner); and “Knickknack” (1989), which was produced as a 3D stereoscopic film.  Pixar’s “Tin Toy” became the first computer animated film to win an Oscar® when it received the 1988 Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film.

            Prior to the formation of Pixar in 1986, Lasseter was a member of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm Ltd., where he designed and animated the computer-generated Stained Glass Knight character in the 1985 Steven Spielberg-produced film “Young Sherlock Holmes.”

Lasseter attended the inaugural year of the Character Animation program at California Institute of the Arts and received his B.F.A. in film there in 1979.  While attending California Institute of the Arts Lasseter produced two animated films, both winners of the Student Academy Award® for Animation: “Lady and the Lamp” in 1979 and “Nitemare” in 1980.  His very first award came at the age of five when he won $15.00 from the Model Grocery Market in Whittier, California, for a crayon drawing of the Headless Horseman.

 

ANDREW STANTON (Executive Producer) has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990, when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company’s elite group of computer animation pioneers.  As Vice President, Creative, he currently leads the initiatives of and oversees all features and shorts development of the studio, and most recently served as the executive producer on the upcoming Disney·Pixar RATATOUILLE, scheduled for release on June 29, 2007.

Andrew made his directorial debut with the record-shattering “Finding Nemo,” an original story of his that he also co-wrote.  The film garnered Andrew two Academy Award © nominations (Best Original Screenplay & Best Animated Film), and “Finding Nemo” was awarded an OscarÒ for Best Animated Feature Film of 2003, the first such honor Pixar Animation Studios has received for a full-length feature.

Andrew was one of the four screenwriters to receive an Oscar® nomination in 1996 for his contribution to “Toy Story” and went on to receive credit as a screenwriter on every subsequent Pixar film – “A Bug’s Life.” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Finding Nemo.” Additionally, he served as co-director on “A Bug’s Life,” and was the executive producer of the 2001 Oscar®-nominated hit “Monsters, Inc.”

A native of Rockport, Massachusetts, Andrew earned a BFA in character animation from California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), where he completed two student films.  In the 1980s, he launched his professional career in Los Angeles animating for Bill Kroyer’s Kroyer Films studio, and writing for Ralph Bakshi’s production of “Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures” (1987). 

Andrew is currently writing and directing the next Disney·Pixar feature film WALL·E, scheduled to release on June 27, 2008.

 

MICHAEL GIACCHINO’s (Composer) melodies have enhanced entertainment of all genres, including television shows, animated shorts, video games, and stand-alone symphonies with themes that run the gamut from driving, melancholic, and suspenseful to serene.  Viewers of the hit television shows “Lost” “Alias,” are well acquainted with his work and have been enjoying his compositions for several seasons.  He made his feature film composing breakthrough with his acclaimed score for “The Incredibles” and went on to compose music for Disney’s “Sky High,” the comedy-drama “The Family Stone,” Albert Brooks’ “Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World” and the thriller “Mission: Impossible III.”’

In early 1997, Giacchino was approached by the newly formed DreamWorks Studios to score their flagship PlayStation video game, based on Steven Spielberg’s summer box office hit “The Lost World.”  “The Lost World” featured the first original live orchestral score written for a PlayStation console game and was recorded with the members of the Seattle Symphony.

Since “The Lost World,” Giacchino has gone on to compose many orchestral scores for DreamWorks Interactive, including the highly successful “Medal of Honor” series, a World War II simulation game created by Steven Spielberg.  It was his work on such games that led to his involvement in the ABC series “Alias,” created by writer/director JJ Abrams.  The producers of the show contacted the composer because they were fans of the games he had worked on.  “Alias,” in turn, became a gateway of sorts for his work with Pixar on “The Incredibles.”

At the age of ten, Giacchino spent the majority of his time split between the movie theater and his basement, where he made many 8mm stop-motion animated films using his brother’s ping pong table as a sound stage for his miniature movie sets.  His favorite part of the process was actually finding music to put to the films.  He remembers listening to the “Star Wars” soundtrack as a kid, and being completely amazed at the way the music was telling a story.  It was an instant awakening as to what the various instruments of an orchestra could accomplish.

His boyhood fascination with movies led him to film school at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he majored in film production with a minor in history.  Upon graduation, Giacchino began composition studies at Juilliard School at Lincoln Center while working day jobs at both Universal and Disney’s New York publicity offices.  Two years later, he was transferred to the Disney Studios in Burbank to work in their feature film publicity department.  During that time, the aspiring composer accepted a job with Disney Interactive as an assistant producer, managing and producing titles for the division.  He devoted his evenings and weekend to practicing and studying music.

On May 13^th, 2000, the Haddonfield Symphony premiered Giacchino’s first Symphony, “Camden 2000.”  The concert took place at the Sony E-Center in Camden, and proceeds went to benefit the Heart of Camden, an organization dedicated to rebuilding inner city Camden housing.  The symphony, which played to a sold-out crown, celebrated the birth, past greatness, and future of hope in the city of Camden, N.J.

 

Multitasker PETER SOHN (Story Artist, Animator, Voice of Emile) worked as a story artist, animator, and voice of Emile on the upcoming Disney·Pixar’s RATATOUILLE, scheduled for release in June 2007. 

 Sohn started working for Pixar Animation Studios in September of 2000, where he worked in both the art and story departments for “Finding Nemo.”  Sohn then began work on “The Incredibles” in the art, story, and animation departments.  He focused on animating members of the Parr family and worked on many memorable scenes from the film.

Prior to Pixar, Sohn worked at Warner Bros. with RATATOUILLE director Brad Bird on “The Iron Giant”, as well as at Disney T.V.  He grew up in New York and attended California Institute of the Arts, more commonly known as Cal Arts.  He currently lives in the Bay Area.

 

THOMAS KELLER (Chef) is widely regarded as one of America's finest chefs. With a career spanning more than two decades, Keller is currently the chef and owner of The French Laundry, Bouchon, and Bouchon Bakery, in Yountville, CA; Bouchon in Las Vegas, NV; and Per Se and Bouchon Bakery in New York City. His critically acclaimed and award-winning cookbooks include The French Laundry Cookbook and Bouchon Cookbook. For the Disney•Pixar film, RATATOUILLE, Keller was a key consultant on French cuisine, cooking and the interworkings of a French kitchen. Keller also designed a dish for the film and voices the small part of a restaurant patron at Gusteau’s.

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