Ralph Eggleston (October 18, 1965 – August 28, 2022)[1] was an American animator, art director, storyboard artist, and production designer at Pixar Animation Studios.[2][3] He won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for For the Birds.[4]
Ralph Eggleston | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 18, 1965 Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | August 28, 2022 (aged 56) San Rafael, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Comic artist, illustrator, animator, art director, storyboard artist, production designer |
| Years active | 1983–2022 |
| Employer | Pixar Animation Studios (1992–2022) |
| Notable work | |
Biography
editBorn in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Eggleston graduated from the California Institute of the Arts before beginning his career as an animator in 1983.[5] His first significant contribution was as the chief animator for the 1987 episode Family Dog for Steven Spielberg's anthology series Amazing Stories.[5] Following this project he worked as an animator for Kroyer Films on numerous projects for television and film in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including serving as art director for the 1992 film FernGully: The Last Rainforest.[5] He also worked as an animator on several projects with Walt Disney Animation Studios, including the films Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Pocahontas (1995).[1]
Eggleston began his career at Pixar in 1992, hired during the development of Toy Story, his work on which won him the Annie Award for Best Art Direction. He wrote and directed the Oscar-winning Pixar short film For the Birds.[6] He worked as Production Designer on the film Inside Out for six years;[7] this film received the Annie Award for Best Production Design.[8]
Death
editAfter a prolonged illness, Eggleston died on August 28, 2022, at the age of 56, from a colorectal infection caused by a pancreatic tumor.[9][1] Elemental was dedicated to his memory, along with Thomas Gonzales, Amber Martorelli, and J. Garrett Sheldrew.[10] As a tribute to Eggleston, a sign reading "Eat at Ralph's - Two cents" can be seen in Element City.[11] Another tribute to Eggleston can be seen in Inside Out 2 as one of the artists for Anxiety, number 87, was designed to be a caricature of him.[12]
Filmography
edit- FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) (art director, animator)
- Aladdin (1992) (animator)
- The Lion King (1994) (animator)
- Pocahontas (1995) (animator)
- Toy Story (1995) (art director)
- A Bug's Life (1998) (art director)
- Toy Story 2 (1999) (art director)
- Fantasia 2000 (1999) (production designer)
- For the Birds (2000) (writer, director)
- Monsters, Inc. (2001) (storywriter/visual development)
- Finding Nemo (2003) (production designer)
- The Incredibles (2004) (art director)
- Cars (2006) (art director)
- Ratatouille (2007) (character designer)
- WALL-E (2008) (production designer)
- Up (2009) (character art director)
- The Princess and the Frog (2009) (additional story material)
- Cars 2 (2011) (development artist)
- Inside Out (2015) (production designer)
- Riley's First Date? (2015) (production designer)
- Finding Dory (2016) (special thanks)
- Incredibles 2 (2018) (production designer)
- Soul (2020) (development artist)
- Elemental (2023) (dedication)
- Inside Out 2 (2024) (visual development artist; posthumous release)
References
edit- ^ a b c Burton, Carson (August 29, 2022). "Ralph Eggleston, Pixar Animator Behind 'For the Birds' and 'Toy Story,' Dies at 56". Variety. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Oscar-Winning Disney/Pixar Artist Ralph Eggleston Dies of Pancreatic Cancer". Animation Magazine. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "Oscar Winning 'For the Birds' Director Ralph Eggleston Dies at 56". Animation World Network. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "2002 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c Jeff Lenburg (2006). "Eggleston, Ralph". Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 76–77. ISBN 9781557836717.
- ^ Mia Galuppo (April 13, 2016). "Pixar's Ralph Eggleston on the Continued Importance of "Rough Sketch"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ "Ralph Eggleston Talks 'Inside Out'". Animation World Network. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ "Ralph Eggleston". www.trojan-unicorn.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (August 29, 2022). "Ralph Eggleston, a Cornerstone of Pixar's Visual Style, Dies at 56". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
- ^ Sohn, Peter (May 24, 2023). "Elemental" (Credits). Getty Images. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ^ "Elemental includes Easter egg tribute to late Pixar animator". Entertainment Weekly. June 14, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ Shaffer, Joshua (June 18, 2024). "Inside Out 2 Fun Facts and Easter Eggs". Discovering The Magic Kingdom. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
External links
edit- Ralph Eggleston at IMDb
- Audio interview with Eggleston (04/06)
- Teen's interview Ralph Eggleston
- "Ken Breuce and Ralph Eggleston notes from CalArts Character Animation lecture"
- Feb-3-2006:Pixar visit #3 Ralph Eggelston and Ken Bruce
- From script to DVD interview
- Design with a Purpose, Interview with Ralph Eggleston AD of Wall-E.