Gary Trousdaleis anAmericananimator, film director, screenwriter and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing films such asBeauty and the Beast(1991),The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1996), andAtlantis: The Lost Empire(2001). He frequently works withKirk WiseandDon Hahn.
Gary Trousdale | |
|---|---|
 Trousdale at the 2014Annecy International Animated Film Festival | |
| Born | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Employer(s) | Walt Disney Animation Studios(1984–2003) DreamWorks Animation(2003–2019) |
Biography
editTrousdale was raised inLa Crescenta,north ofGlendale,California.He had planned to be an architect, but had failed at math. Instead, he had decided to study animation atCalArts,where he studied for three years. After his studying, he applied to work as an animator for Carter/Mendez Productions.[1]He was hired in 1982 to design storyboards and do other animation. He then went to work designing restaurant menus and T-shirts.
Trousdale was hired byWalt Disney Productionsin 1984 as an inbetween effects animator onThe Black Cauldron(1985). Trousdale then worked as a storyboard artist onOliver & Company(1988) andThe Little Mermaid(1989).[2]It was on the former film Trousdale became re-acquainted withKirk Wise,his future collaborator. Wise recalled, "Gary and I actually met at CalArts in my first year, that would've been 1981...We didn't cross paths again until I was at Disney. I worked at the end ofThe Great Mouse Detective,I got laid off for a year and came back in '87/'88 onOliver & Companyin the story department and that's where Gary and I started working together. "[3]
While working onThe Rescuers Down Under(1990), Trousdale and Wise were fired from the project due to creative differences, most particularly after their desire to have anAboriginal Australianchild actor hired to voice Cody was ignored.[4]They both moved toOrlando,Floridato theDisney-MGM Studioswhere they developed aRoger Rabbitshort film titledBuggy Buggy Blunder,which told of Baby Herman's stroller getting away fromRogerwhile they were out in the city.[3]Their pitch was rejected by the studio's management.[5]Trousdale and Wise then directed the animated opening sequence forCranium Command,an attraction ride at theWalt Disney World Resort'sEPCOT Center.Trousdale explained, "...there was a shakeup on the directorial side... they said you guys go, that's how we got put together."[3]
In 1988, Richard Purdum had been hired to directBeauty and the Beast(1991). A storyboard reel was screened forJeffrey Katzenberg,to which he strongly disapproved declaring it was too dark and dramatic. As a result, in December 1989, Purdum amicably resigned as director.[6]At the time, Trousdale and Wise were developingGoofy of the Apes,a spoof ofTarzan of the ApesstarringGoofy.[3]Trousdale and Wise received a phone call from Charlie Fink, the studio's vice president of creative affairs, requesting they board "a plane next Monday for New York". Recalling their success onCranium Command,Katzenberg had been considered them as potential candidates to direct the film. Both men met with Katzenberg,Howard Ashman,Peter Schneider,Don Hahn,andLinda Woolvertonto begin overhauling the story, and subsequently flew back to Glendale.[1][5]Within three months, they served as acting directors before they became the film's official directors.[7]As directors, Trousdale directed the live-action reference footage and supervised the layout and special effects, while Wise supervised the character animation and character cleanup. Both directors nevertheless were involved in the art direction, storyboarding, voice recording, editing, and background design.[8]
Beauty and the Beastwas released to critical acclaim, and by February 1992, it became the first animated film to gross $100 million in North America alone.[9]The film was subsequently nominated for anAcademy AwardforBest Picture,becoming the first animated film to achieve this feat.[10]That same month, Trousdale and Wise helped to rewriteThe Lion King(1994), working alongside Hahn,Roger Allers,Brenda Chapman,andChris Sandersto conceive a new story outline in two days.[11]For about a year, Trousdale and Wise developedSong of the Sea,an animated retelling of the Greek myth ofOrpheus and Eurydicebut withhumpback whales.[12]However, in 1993, both directors received a phone call from Katzenberg, telling them:"'Guys, drop everything—you're working onHunchbacknow.'"[13]
The Hunchback of Notre Dame(1996) reunited most of the production team that had worked onBeauty and the Beast(1991), with the inclusion of two Parisian-based animatorsPaul and Gaëtan Brizzi.Together, they embarked to create a more complex, literary, and sophisticated film than its predecessor.[14]During the film's production, in November 1995, Trousdale and Wise signed a long-term contract extension with Disney.[2]Upon release, the film earned $325 million worldwide,[15]though it received a mixed response from film critics.[12]
In October 1996, Trousdale, Wise, Hahn, and screenwriterTab Murphydecided their next film should be an action-adventure film during lunch at a Mexican restaurant.[16]The resulting film becameAtlantis: The Lost Empire,released in 2001. Prior to the film's release, Trousdale and Wise were developing a theatrical sequel, which would have told of another attempted re-take of Atlantis, in which Milo Thatch and his crew battle Helga Sinclair.[17]These plans were later shelved after the film had disappointed at the box office, earning $186 million worldwide. AfterAtlantiswas released, Trousdale was attached to directGnomeo & Juliet(2011) as his first solo project.Kate Winslet,Ewan McGregor,andJudi Denchhad been hired to voice the principal characters. In June 2003, afterMichael Eisnerhad raised concerns about the project's commercial appeal, Trousdale was dismissed from the project after developing creative differences withDavid Stainton,the studio's then-Feature Animation president.[18]
Trousdale later moved toDreamWorks Animationin 2003, where he worked as a storyboard artist onMadagascar(2005) andFlushed Away(2006). He then directed several animated specials, includingThe Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper(2005),Shrek the Halls(2007), andScared Shrekless(2010). In 2010, he was nominated for anAnnie AwardforOutstanding Achievement for Directing in a Television Productionfor the latter special.[19]In 2014, he directed the animated shortRocky and Bullwinkle.[20]
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Black Cauldron | Inbetweeneffects artist | |
| My Science Project | Effects animator | ||
| Homania | Character Designer / Animator | ||
| 1988 | Oliver & Company | Story | |
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | Storyboard artist | |
| Cranium Command | Opening Sequence Director | ||
| 1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | Storyboard artist | |
| The Prince and the Pauper | |||
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Director | Co-directed with Kirk Wise |
| 1992 | Aladdin | Pre-production Story Development: CGI | |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Story | |
| 1996 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Director / Old Man (voice) | Co-directed with Kirk Wise |
| 2001 | Atlantis: The Lost Empire | Director / Story | |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Storyboard artist | |
| The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper | Director | Short film | |
| 2006 | Flushed Away | Additional story artist | |
| 2007 | Shrek the Halls | Director / Teleplay / Santa (voice) | |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | Special Thanks | |
| 2010 | Megamind | ||
| Scared Shrekless | Director / Teleplay | Television film | |
| 2011 | Thriller Night | Director | |
| The Pig Who Cried Werewolf | |||
| 2014 | Mr. Peabody & Sherman | Story artist | |
| Rocky and Bullwinkle[20] | Director | Direct to video short | |
| 2016 | Floyd Norman: An Animated Life | Himself | |
| 2017 | Beauty and the Beast | Creative consultant |
References
edit- ^abThomas 1991,p.159.
- ^ab"Disney Signs Up More Toon Talent".Variety.November 5, 1995.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^abcdReif, Alex (May 14, 2020)."10 Things We Learned from Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale During WDFM Happily Ever After Hours".The Laughing Place.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^Taylor, Drew (August 11, 2020)."Collider Connected: Legendary Directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale on Crafting Disney Classics".Collider(Interview).RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^abHill, Jim (June 8, 2004)."Looking back on" Beauty & the Beast "".Jim Hill Media.Archived fromthe originalon June 23, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^Thomas 1991,p.144.
- ^Solomon, Charles (November 10, 1991)."Building a Magical 'Beast'".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^Thomas 1991,p.158.
- ^Fox, David J. (February 4, 1992)."Weekend Box Office: Disney Divisions Animate Top 10".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^Feinberg, Scott (March 23, 2022)."'Beauty and the Beast' and Its Unprecedented Oscar Run in 1992: "It Was a Giant Moment for Everyone"".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^"Roundtable Interview: The Lion King".Blu-ray(Interview). September 28, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^abSpiegel, Josh (June 21, 2021)."The Hunchback of Notre Dame' at 25: An Oral History of Disney's Darkest Animated Classic"./Film.RetrievedAugust 24,2021.
- ^Brunt, Jonathan (June 21, 1996)."Directors Explain Choice for Grim Story".Rocky Mountain News.Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2015.RetrievedNovember 30,2014– viaHighBeam Research.
- ^Thompson, Anne; Krager, Dave (June 21, 1996)."Playing a Hunch".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^"The Hunchback of Notre Dame".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^"Atlantis: The Lost Empire".Entertainment Weekly.May 15, 2001.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^Taylor, Drew (June 5, 2020)."Exclusive: 'Atlantis: The Last Empire' Co-Director Kirk Wise Reveals Details of Proposed Sequel".Collider.RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^Hill, Jim (January 26, 2004)."O Gnomeo, Gnomeo. Wherefore art thou, Gnomeo?".Jim Hill Media.RetrievedOctober 5,2019.
- ^Flores, Terry (September 5, 2010)."Annies adds new categories".RetrievedSeptember 1,2022.
- ^abAmidi, Amid (November 4, 2013).""Beauty and the Beast" Director Gary Trousdale Directs DreamWorks' "Rocky and Bullwinkle" Short ".Cartoon Brew.RetrievedNovember 27,2013.
Bibliography
edit- Thomas, Bob (1991).Disney's Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Beauty and the Beast.New York: Hyperion.ISBN1-56282-899-1.