Joe Ranft
Joe Ranft | |
|---|---|
 Ranft during a production session for Finding Nemo in 2003 | |
| Born | Joseph Henry Ranft March 13, 1960 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 16, 2005 (aged 45) |
| Education | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1980–2005 |
| Employer(s) | Walt Disney Feature Animation (1980–1999) Pixar Animation Studios (1992–2005) |
| Spouse |
Sue Barry (m. 1985) |
| Children | Jordan (Jordy) Ranft (actor; born 1991) Sophia Ranft (voice actress; born 1995) |
| Relatives | Jerome Ranft (brother; born 1966) |
Joseph Henry "Joe" Ranft (March 13, 1960 – August 16, 2005) was an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and voice actor. He is best known for voicing Elmo St. Peters in The Brave Little Toaster (1987), Heimlich in A Bug's Life (1998), Wheezy in Toy Story 2 (1999) and the spin-off film Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000), and Jacques in Finding Nemo (2003), as well as providing vocalizations for Red in Cars (2006). He worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. His younger brother Jerome Ranft is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar films.
Ranft's first film credit was a writer for Fun with Mr. Future (1982), followed by his first feature film The Brave Little Toaster in 1987. He received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination as one of the writers of Toy Story (1995), and was also the co-director on Cars (2006), his final work before his death.