Ron Clements (born April 25, 1953 in
Sioux City, IowaSioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,013 at the 2000 census; census estimates showed a slight decline to 82,807 by 2008...
) is an American
animation directorAn animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film...
and producer.
He is one half of America's leading contemporary animation team with
John MuskerJohn Musker is an American animation director.Musker is one half of America's leading contemporary animation team with Ron Clements. He first met Clements during the production of The Fox and the Hound , where he worked as a character animator under Clements...
. Clements began his career as an animator for
Hanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. , was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
. After a few months there, he was accepted into Disney's Talent Development Program, an animator training ground and workshop. After that, he served a two year apprenticeship with famed animator
Frank ThomasFranklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men....
, a supervising animator in classic Disney films such as
Peter PanPeter Pan is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
(1953),
Lady and the TrampLady and the Tramp is a American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
(1955) and
The AristocatsThe Aristocats is an animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970. The twentieth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, and revolves around a family of aristocratic cats, and how an alley...
(1970).
Clements made his feature debut as a character animator on
The RescuersThe Rescuers is a 1977 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The twenty-third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization, headquartered in New York and shadowing...
(1977) and
Pete's DragonPete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical feature film from Walt Disney Productions and the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system...
(1977).
Ron Clements (born April 25, 1953 in
Sioux City, IowaSioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,013 at the 2000 census; census estimates showed a slight decline to 82,807 by 2008...
) is an American
animation directorAn animation director is the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or animated segment for a live-action film...
and producer.
He is one half of America's leading contemporary animation team with
John MuskerJohn Musker is an American animation director.Musker is one half of America's leading contemporary animation team with Ron Clements. He first met Clements during the production of The Fox and the Hound , where he worked as a character animator under Clements...
. Clements began his career as an animator for
Hanna-BarberaHanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. , was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
. After a few months there, he was accepted into Disney's Talent Development Program, an animator training ground and workshop. After that, he served a two year apprenticeship with famed animator
Frank ThomasFranklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men....
, a supervising animator in classic Disney films such as
Peter PanPeter Pan is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
(1953),
Lady and the TrampLady and the Tramp is a American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
(1955) and
The AristocatsThe Aristocats is an animated feature produced and released by Walt Disney Productions in 1970. The twentieth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, and revolves around a family of aristocratic cats, and how an alley...
(1970).
Clements made his feature debut as a character animator on
The RescuersThe Rescuers is a 1977 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The twenty-third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization, headquartered in New York and shadowing...
(1977) and
Pete's DragonPete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical feature film from Walt Disney Productions and the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system...
(1977). In 1981, he became the supervising animator on
The Fox and the HoundThe Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions which premiered in the United States on July 10, 1981. The twenty-fourth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is loosely based on the Daniel P...
. Future partner John Musker worked as a character animator under him. Clements later teamed up with Musker as story artists on the ambitious animated flop
The Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron can refer to...* The Black Cauldron, the second novel in The Chronicles of Prydain series .** The Black Cauldron, the animated film based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series, produced by Walt Disney ....
(1985). In 1986, Clements made his directorial debut alongside Musker and two other collaborators on the feature
The Great Mouse DetectiveThe Great Mouse Detective is a animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
. This feature was based on a pre-Disney short made by Clements.
Together, Clements and Musker wrote and directed
The Little MermaidThe Little Mermaid is a American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film was originally released to theaters on November 17, 1989 and is the twenty-eighth film in...
(1989), a touching retelling of the
Hans Christian AndersenHans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Little Mermaid", "Thumbelina", "The Little Match Girl", and the "The Ugly Duckling".During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted...
tale. With dazzling animation and Oscar-winning music by
Alan MenkenAlan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist. Menken has collaborated with lyricists including Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz...
and
Howard AshmanHoward Ashman was an American playwright and movie music lyricist. Ashman first studied at Boston University and Goddard College and then went on to achieve his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974...
, it brought back critical and commercial clout for feature animation. Later on, the two wrote, directed and produced
AladdinAladdin is a American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, and is based on the Arab folktale of Aladdin...
(1992), which was an even larger success. They also directed
HerculesHercules is a American animated feature 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), which while not as successful as their last two films, was still well-received by critics and audiences.
Their next directorial collaboration would be the sci-fi
Treasure PlanetTreasure Planet is an animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002...
(2002), critics reviews were generally positive but it was unfortunately a commercial failure. The film lacked the songs and colorful characters which were crucial to the success of
Aladdin and
The Little Mermaid although he was nominated an
Academy Award for Best Animated FeatureThe Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles-based professional organization, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy Awards, or Oscars, which are the oldest awards given to achievements in film, included the Best Animated...
.
However, after Disney's acquisition of
PixarPixar Animation Studios is a CGI animation production company based in Emeryville, California, United States. To date, the studio has earned twenty-two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, and three Grammys, among many other awards, acknowledgments and achievements. It is one of the most critically...
in early 2006, the studio has rekindled interest towards 2-D animation thanks to new leaders
John LasseterJohn Alan Lasseter is an Academy Award-winning American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios...
and Ed Catmull. A new upcoming 2-D animated feature,
The Princess and the Frog, is currently in development, with Musker and Clements directing and Randy Newman handling the music. The film promises to return to the Broadway-style musical which
Aladdin,
The Little Mermaid and other successful Disney animated films of the late
'80sThe 1980s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1980, to December 31, 1989.The time period saw social, economic and general change as wealth and production migrated to newly industrializing economies...
and early
'90sThe 1990s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1999, the last decade of the 20th century. It was the first decade following the effective end of the Cold War...
were.
Family
- Father: Joseph Clements
- Mother: Gertrude Clements
- Wife: Tami Clements
- Stepson: Marc Wilhite
Awards and nominations
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Directing a Feature Production (Amarded) The Princess and the Frog 2009
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Producting a Feature Production (Amarded) The Princess and the Frog 2009
- Academy Award Best Animated Feature (Nomination) Treasure Planet
Treasure Planet is an animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002...
2002
- Annie Outstanding Directing in an Animated Feature Production (Nomination) Treasure Planet
Treasure Planet is an animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002...
2002
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a Feature Production (Awarded) Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for the mythical Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italic shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength, who dedicated the Ara Maxima that became...
1997
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Producing in a Feature Production (Awarded) Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for the mythical Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italic shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength, who dedicated the Ara Maxima that became...
1997
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Animation (Awarded) Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for the mythical Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. Early Roman sources suggest that the imported Greek hero supplanted a mythic Italic shepherd called "Recaranus" or "Garanus", famous for his strength, who dedicated the Ara Maxima that became...
1997
- Annie Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Field of Animation (Awarded) 1993
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Animation (Awarded) Aladdin
Aladdin is one of the tales of medieval Arabian origin in the 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 .-Synopsis:The original story of...
1992
- Edgar Allan Poe Award Best Motion Picture The Great Mouse Detective
The Great Mouse Detective is a animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
(Nomination) 1987
Milestones
- 2009 Co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced The Princess and the Frog with partner John Musker
- 2002 Co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced Treasure Planet
Treasure Planet is an animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 27, 2002...
with partner John Musker
- 1997 Co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced Hercules
Hercules is a American animated feature 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...
with partner John Musker
- 1992 Co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced Aladdin
Aladdin is a American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, and is based on the Arab folktale of Aladdin...
with partner John Musker
- 1989 Co-wrote and co-directed The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" is a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...
with partner John Musker
- 1986 Made directorial debut with The Great Mouse Detective
The Great Mouse Detective is a animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
with partner John Musker
- 1985 Credited as story contributor on The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron can refer to...* The Black Cauldron, the second novel in The Chronicles of Prydain series .** The Black Cauldron, the animated film based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series, produced by Walt Disney ....
- 1981 Credited as supervising animator on The Fox and the Hound
The Fox and the Hound is a 1981 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions which premiered in the United States on July 10, 1981. The twenty-fourth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is loosely based on the Daniel P...
- 1977 Feature debut as a character animator with The Rescuers
The Rescuers is a 1977 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Productions and first released on June 22, 1977. The twenty-third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film is about the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization, headquartered in New York and shadowing...
- Worked at Hanna-Barbera for several months as an animator
- Accepted into Disney's Talent Development Program
- Served a two-year apprenticeship under Frank Thomas (animation director of Cinderella
Cinderella is a well-known classic folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances which suddenly change to remarkable fortune...
1950, Alice in Wonderland 1951 and other Disney favorites)