Ash Brannon

 ( American Animated Film Directors ) 

Ash Brannon is an American writer, director, visual artist, animator, and producer. He was a story artist and directing animator on Toy Story

and co-director of Toy Story 2. He also directed and co-wrote the Sony Pictures Animation film Surf's Up. He also served as co-executive producer, story co-creator and writer on the Netflix animated series Arcane.

---

Early life Brannon was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia.

---

Career Brannon studied visual arts at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida and went on to attend CalArts in its Character Animation program. He was accepted as a summer trainee at Walt Disney Animation Studios where he worked as an animation inbetweener on Disney's 1989 film The Little Mermaid. From 1990 to 1992, Brannon worked at Warner Bros. Animation as a story artist and animator for such projects as Nike's Hare Jordan Super Bowl ad in 1992.

In 1993 Brannon joined Pixar Animation Studios as a story artist on the studio's first two animated feature films Toy Story and A Bug's Life, as well as animation director on the former, before moving on to direct and help develop the storyline for Toy Story 2. Initially planned as a direct-to-video feature, the film was expanded in scope to become a theatrical feature. Brannon won an Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production and Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production. He was nominated for an Oscar Award in 2007 on Surf's Up.

Brannon joined Riot Games in 2016 to help craft the storyline for its animated series Arcane. Additionally he served as a co-executive producer and writer on Season One. Brannon, along with the show's creative team, won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Most recently Brannon co-created the NFT animated series Stoner Cats. The six-episode series centers on an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and her five sentient housecats who must take care of her as she declines. The series was produced with partners Mila Kunis and Lisa Sterbakov of Orchard Farm Productions, and features a voice cast including Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Jane Fonda, Seth MacFarlane, and Chris Rock.

---

Filmography

---

Films

1989	The Little Mermaid							Animation Trainee
1990	The Rescuers Down Under							Special Thanks
1995	Toy Story
1998	A Bug's Life
1999	Toy Story 2							New Character Designs
2006	Over the Hedge
	Open Season							Special Thanks
2007	Surf's Up						Filmmaker #1
2016	Rock Dog						Ian
2022
2024	10 Lives

---

Television

1993	2 Stupid Dogs				Episode: "Red"
2021–23	Stoner Cats				7 episodes
2021	Arcane				Episode: "The Base Violence Necessary for Change"; Netflix series

---

Video games

1995		Pixar: Animator
1996	Toy Story: Animated Storybook	Disco Godfather (as "Ashley Brannon")
1999		Special Thanks
	Toy Story 2 Activity Center

---

Accolades

Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production	Toy Story 2
February 8, 2008	Best Animated Feature	Surf's Up
	Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production	Surf's Up
	Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production	Surf's Up

---

External links

Post Comment