Eric Goldberg (film director)
Encyclopedia
Eric Goldberg is an American animator
and film director
. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He's also well known as the creator of Disney character Genie in Aladdin
Goldberg was raised in Levittown, Pennsylvania
and moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey
as a child, where he attended Cherry Hill High School East
. Goldberg later studied at Pratt Institute
, where he majored in illustration. He first entered the industry in the mid-1970s working on Raggedy Ann and Andy for the Richard Williams studio, eventually moving to Williams' London
studio and rising through the ranks from assistant to director. During the 1980s, Goldberg started his own London-based studio, Pizazz Pictures, to produce television commercials.
Later, Goldberg closed his studio to work at Disney Animation Studios, Burbank, California
, to work on the film, Aladdin, where he became the lead animator on the character Genie, and later the lead animator on Phil in Hercules
(1997). Goldberg also was the co-director of Disney's 1995 feature Pocahontas
. During his time as the lead animator for the Genie, he also provided the majority of the original animation for MC Skat Kat
's Big Time music video, which was finished in 1992 but left unaired.
In 1997, Goldberg began plans to produce an animated short set to the music of George Gershwin
's Rhapsody in Blue
. His film eventually became part of Disney's Fantasia 2000
after Goldberg was allowed to use the Disney staff to complete the film during a production hiatus on The Emperor's New Groove
. He also served as director for Fantaisia 2000s The Carnival of the Animals
segment. Goldberg's wife Susan served as art director on both segments.
Goldberg not only served as the director of animation for Warner Bros.
' 2003 live-action/animation hybrid feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action
, but he also provided the voices of Marvin the Martian
, Tweety
, and Speedy Gonzalez. He animated the title sequence of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
's 2006 remake of The Pink Panther
, with Bob Kurtz
of Kurtz and Friends. Later, he was a head writer on a variety of shows such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
and iCarly
.
Recently, Goldberg returned to Disney, where he directed four minutes of animation for the Epcot
attraction Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
and contributed to the 2007 animated short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
starring Goofy
. Most recently, he was the supervising animator for Louis in The Princess and the Frog, and Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh. In 2011 Eric Goldberg was named the 21st most influential animator in Disney history on the blog the 50 Most Influential Disney Animators.
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He's also well known as the creator of Disney character Genie in Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
Goldberg was raised in Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown, Pennsylvania
Levittown is a census-designated place and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is above sea level...
and moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
as a child, where he attended Cherry Hill High School East
Cherry Hill High School East
Cherry Hill High School East is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Cherry Hill Public Schools...
. Goldberg later studied at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, where he majored in illustration. He first entered the industry in the mid-1970s working on Raggedy Ann and Andy for the Richard Williams studio, eventually moving to Williams' London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
studio and rising through the ranks from assistant to director. During the 1980s, Goldberg started his own London-based studio, Pizazz Pictures, to produce television commercials.
Later, Goldberg closed his studio to work at Disney Animation Studios, Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, to work on the film, Aladdin, where he became the lead animator on the character Genie, and later the lead animator on Phil in Hercules
Hercules (1997 film)
Hercules is a 1997 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fifth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker...
(1997). Goldberg also was the co-director of Disney's 1995 feature Pocahontas
Pocahontas (1995 film)
Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures...
. During his time as the lead animator for the Genie, he also provided the majority of the original animation for MC Skat Kat
MC Skat Kat
MC Skat Kat is an animated cat who appeared with Paula Abdul in the video for her song "Opposites Attract" in 1989.-History:The idea of Skat Kat came from the Gene Kelly movie Anchors Aweigh, in which Kelly's character dances with Jerry, the mouse from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series...
's Big Time music video, which was finished in 1992 but left unaired.
In 1997, Goldberg began plans to produce an animated short set to the music of George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects....
. His film eventually became part of Disney's Fantasia 2000
Fantasia 2000
Fantasia 2000 is a 1999 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the 38th feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and a sequel to 1940's Fantasia...
after Goldberg was allowed to use the Disney staff to complete the film during a production hiatus on The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove
The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures through Buena Vista Distribution on December 15, 2000. It is the 40th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics...
. He also served as director for Fantaisia 2000s The Carnival of the Animals
The Carnival of the Animals
Le carnaval des animaux is a musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The orchestral work has a duration between 22 and 30 minutes.-History:...
segment. Goldberg's wife Susan served as art director on both segments.
Goldberg not only served as the director of animation for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' 2003 live-action/animation hybrid feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
, but he also provided the voices of Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:...
, Tweety
Tweety
Tweety Bird is a fictional Yellow Canary in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being a typical English onomatopoeia for the sounds of birds...
, and Speedy Gonzalez. He animated the title sequence of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
's 2006 remake of The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther (2006 film)
The Pink Panther is a 2006 American comedy film and a reboot of The Pink Panther film series. In this film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and the theft of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The film also stars Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily...
, with Bob Kurtz
Bob Kurtz
Bob Kurtz, founder of , is a director, producer, artist, and designer who primarily works in films and TV commercials. He attended the Chouinard Art Institute...
of Kurtz and Friends. Later, he was a head writer on a variety of shows such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an American animated television series created and produced at Cartoon Network Studios by animator Craig McCracken, creator of The Powerpuff Girls. It first premiered on Cartoon Network on August 13, 2004, as a 90-minute television movie, which led to a series...
and iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
.
Recently, Goldberg returned to Disney, where he directed four minutes of animation for the Epcot
Epcot
Epcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
attraction Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros is a dark ride housed within the pyramid-shaped Mexico pavilion, at the Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States.-Synopsis:...
and contributed to the 2007 animated short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater is a 2007 theatrical cartoon from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. This is the first theatrical Goofy solo cartoon short made in 46 years, since Aquamania...
starring Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
. Most recently, he was the supervising animator for Louis in The Princess and the Frog, and Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh. In 2011 Eric Goldberg was named the 21st most influential animator in Disney history on the blog the 50 Most Influential Disney Animators.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Animator | Actor | Voice Role | Animation Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure is a 1977 American animated film directed by Richard Williams. It was produced by the Bobbs-Merrill Company, and released by 20th Century Fox... |
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| 1992 | Aladdin Aladdin (1992 film) Aladdin is a 1992 American animated family film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Aladdin was the 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and was part of the Disney film era known as the Disney Renaissance... |
Genie | |||||
| 1995 | Pocahontas Pocahontas (1995 film) Pocahontas is the 33rd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to selected theaters on June 16, 1995 by Walt Disney Pictures... |
||||||
| 1997 | Hercules Hercules (1997 film) Hercules is a 1997 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirty-fifth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker... |
Phil | |||||
| 1999 | Fantasia 2000 Fantasia 2000 Fantasia 2000 is a 1999 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the 38th feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and a sequel to 1940's Fantasia... |
Rhapsody in Blue | |||||
| The Carnival of the Animals | |||||||
| 2000 | The Emperor's New Groove The Emperor's New Groove The Emperor's New Groove is a 2000 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures through Buena Vista Distribution on December 15, 2000. It is the 40th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics... |
||||||
| 2003 | Looney Tunes: Back in Action Looney Tunes: Back in Action Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical... |
Marvin the Martian Marvin the Martian Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:... , Michigan J. Frog Michigan J. Frog Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character who debuted in the Looney Tunes cartoon One Froggy Evening , written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones... , Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent... and Tweety Bird |
|||||
| 2006 | Pink Panther The Pink Panther (2006 film) The Pink Panther is a 2006 American comedy film and a reboot of The Pink Panther film series. In this film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and the theft of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The film also stars Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily... |
Title Sequence | |||||
| 2007 | How to Hook Up Your Home Theater How to Hook Up Your Home Theater How to Hook Up Your Home Theater is a 2007 theatrical cartoon from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. This is the first theatrical Goofy solo cartoon short made in 46 years, since Aquamania... |
Short film | |||||
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog | Louis the Alligator | Annie Award 37th Annie Awards The 37th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2009, were held on February 6, 2010 at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.-Best Animated Feature:*Up*Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs*Coraline*Fantastic Mr... for Best Character Animation in a Feature Production |
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| 2011 | Winnie the Pooh Winnie the Pooh (2011 film) Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American animated musical children's family film inspired by the A. A. Milne stories of the same name. The film is a reboot of Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise and is the fifth theatrical Winnie the Pooh film released and the second from the Walt Disney Animation... |
Rabbit | |||||
External links
- Eric Goldberg's first visit to CalArts' Character Animation Program (Fall'05)
- Eric Goldberg's second visit to CalArts' Character Animation Program (Spring '06)
- Animated News' Interview with Goldberg (2005)
- From Script to DVD interview
- Eric Goldberg on Voice Chasers
- (http://50mostinfluentialdisneyanimators.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/21-eric-goldberg/)