Michael Paxton
Encyclopedia
Michael Paxton is an American
filmmaker whose feature documentary, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life
received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Satellite Award for Best Feature Documentary of 1997.
's Graduate Institute of Film and Television, where his thesis film, Forbidden Fruit, won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Editing at the 1988 NYU Film Festival.
' play Ideal at the Melrose Theater in Hollywood. In 1991, he adapted and directed a dramatic presentation of Rand's futuristic novella
, Anthem
. In 1995 he was the Assistant Director on the live-action/animated feature, The Pagemaster
, for Turner Pictures. In addition to his film and theater work, he has written four books: Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (The Companion Book) and three children's books for Disney based on their classic animated features (Cinderella
, The Rescuers Down Under
and The Aristocats
). He has also co-produced the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life and was a Visual Effects Supervisor on Stuart Little 2
. He was the Associate Producer on The Lion King 1½
for Disney, Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows
for Miramax, and Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton for The CW.
Animation projects
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker whose feature documentary, Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life
Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life is a 1997 American documentary film written, produced, and directed by Michael Paxton. Its focus is on novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, the author of the bestselling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, who promoted her philosophy of Objectivism through her books,...
received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Satellite Award for Best Feature Documentary of 1997.
Background
In 1979, Paxton graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. He then attended New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Graduate Institute of Film and Television, where his thesis film, Forbidden Fruit, won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Editing at the 1988 NYU Film Festival.
Career
In 1989, Paxton co-produced and directed the world premiere of Ayn RandAyn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
' play Ideal at the Melrose Theater in Hollywood. In 1991, he adapted and directed a dramatic presentation of Rand's futuristic novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
, Anthem
Anthem (novella)
Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in England. It takes place at some unspecified future date when mankind has entered another dark age characterized by irrationality, collectivism, and socialistic thinking and economics...
. In 1995 he was the Assistant Director on the live-action/animated feature, The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster
The Pagemaster is a 1994 adventure fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy...
, for Turner Pictures. In addition to his film and theater work, he has written four books: Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (The Companion Book) and three children's books for Disney based on their classic animated features (Cinderella
Cinderella (1950 film)
Cinderella is a 1950 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the fairy tale "Cendrillon" by Charles Perrault. Twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film had a limited release on February 15, 1950 by RKO Radio Pictures. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi,...
, The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under
The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution on November 16, 1990...
and The Aristocats
The Aristocats
The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970 and stars Eva Gabor and Phil Harris, with Roddy Maude-Roxby as Edgar the butler, the villain of the story...
). He has also co-produced the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life and was a Visual Effects Supervisor on Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2
Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes...
. He was the Associate Producer on The Lion King 1½
The Lion King 1½
The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American direct-to-video animated film released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on February 10, 2004. The film is the third installment in the Lion King series. The DVD went to the Disney Vault in January 2005...
for Disney, Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows
Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows
Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows is the Annie Award-nominated third Bionicle movie installment. It is also the second movie in the Bionicle timeline, as of 2005. The visuals are completely computer-generated...
for Miramax, and Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton for The CW.
Partial filmography
- Ayn Rand: A Sense of LifeAyn Rand: A Sense of LifeAyn Rand: A Sense of Life is a 1997 American documentary film written, produced, and directed by Michael Paxton. Its focus is on novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, the author of the bestselling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, who promoted her philosophy of Objectivism through her books,...
(1997) writer/director/producer - Ideal (2004) (V) writer/director/producer
- Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows (2005) associate producer
- Smallville Legends: Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton (2008 (V) line producer
Animation projects
- Rover DangerfieldRover DangerfieldRover Dangerfield is an animated feature film produced by Hyperion Pictures and released by Warner Bros., starring the voice talents 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. Rover gets dumped...
(1991) production coordinator - The PagemasterThe PagemasterThe Pagemaster is a 1994 adventure fantasy film starring Macaulay Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, Frank Welker, and Leonard Nimoy...
(1994) assistant director - Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody GhostRoxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody GhostRoxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost is a 2007 Nickelodeon Original Movie, and is the first TV movie of the Roxy Hunter Movies. This movie is produced by Dolphin Entertainment, that premiered on October 30, 2007...
(2007) (TV) associate producer - Roxy Hunter and the Myth of the MermaidRoxy Hunter and the Myth of the MermaidRoxy Hunter and the Myth of the Mermaid is a 2008 Nickelodeon Original Movies, and is the third edition to the Roxy Hunter movies, plus a direct sequel to the previous movie Roxy Hunter and the Secret of the Shaman.-Synopsis:...
(2008) (TV) associate producer - Roxy Hunter and the Secret of the ShamanRoxy Hunter and the Secret of the ShamanRoxy Hunter and the Secret of the Shaman is a 2008 Nickelodeon Original Movie that aired on February 1, 2008. It is a direct sequel to the Roxy Hunter and the Mystery of the Moody Ghost.-Synopsis:...
(2008) (TV) associate producer - Roxy Hunter and the Horrific HalloweenRoxy Hunter and the Horrific HalloweenRoxy Hunter and the Horrific Halloween is the fourth edition to the Roxy Hunter movies, and is a direct sequel to the previous movie Roxy Hunter and the Myth of the Mermaid. The movie was first released on The N's Halloween Block in October 2008. This movie was instead aired on The N, but not the...
(2008) (TV) associate producer