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Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 – August 16, 2005) was an animation storyboard artist and voice actor who worked for Pixar and Disney.

Biography

Born in Pasadena, California, Ranft studied in the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts. After graduation, Ranft worked at Disney throughout the 1980s doing story work on animated features including The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. Joining Pixar in 1992, he worked on story development for all of Pixar's feature film releases, most recently as Head of Story on Cars. He was also the voice of Heimlich in A Bug's Life, Wheezy the Penguin in Toy Story 2, Lenny the Binoculars in Toy Story, Jacques the shrimp in Finding Nemo, and Red/Peterbuilt in Cars.

Ranft was named a Disney Legend in October 2006.

Death

Ranft was 45 years old when he died in a car accident.

The 2004 Honda Element in which he was a passenger went off a cliff into the ocean in Mendocino County on August 16, 2005.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at about 3 P.M. as the driver, Elegba Earl, 32, of Los Angeles, tried to regain control of the car after swerving when he headed into a tight left curve while heading north on Highway 1. The car fell 130 feet (39 metres) over the side of the road and overturned twice before it landed in the water near the mouth of the Navarro River where it meets the Pacific Ocean.

The third person in the car, whom the CHP identified as Eric Frierson, 39, of Los Angeles, survived by climbing through the sunroof. He was hospitalized with moderate injuries at Mendocino Coast Hospital.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, released on September 16, 2005, was dedicated to his memory. The following year, Cars, the last Pixar feature on which he worked, was also dedicated to him. He was also one of the people in the Academy Awards's In Memoriam.

Trivia

One of the scarers in Monsters Inc. is named Joe Ranft. All of the scarers are named after Pixar staff.

Selected filmography

• Cars (2006)
• Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)
• The Incredibles (2004)
• Finding Nemo (2003)
• Monsters, Inc. (2001)
• Toy Story 2 (1999)
• A Bug's Life (1998)
• Toy Story (1995)
• The Lion King(1994)
• Beauty and The Beast (1991)
• The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
• Oliver and Company (1988)
• The Brave Little Toaster (1987)

External links

• Pixar Artist's Corner with Joe
• Michael Sragow (Nov. 23, 1999) "Toy" Story Man. Salon.
• Peter Hartlaub (Sep. 17, 2003) The secret of Pixar's magic can be found at CalArts.... San Francisco Chronicle.
• Finding Nemo Press Information - Includes short biography.
• Hollywood Reporter Obituary
• Remembrance by Ronnie del Carmen
• Obituary by the former President of the Northern California Disneyana Enthusiasts club, citing comments made at Joe Ranft's memorial
• Disney Legends profile

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