Toy Story 2

John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering. Lasseter's first job was with The Walt Disney Company, where he became an animator.... Next, he joined Lucasfilm, where he worked on the then-groundbreaking use of CGI animation. After the Graphics Group of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm was sold to Steve Jobs and became Pixar in 1986, Lasseter oversaw all of Pixar's films and associated projects as executive producer and he directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Cars 2. He has won two Academy Awards, for Animated Short Film , as well as a Special Achievement Award . Lasseter was born in Hollywood, California. His mother, Jewell Mae , was an art teacher at Bell Gardens High School, and his father, Paul Eual Lasseter, was a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. Lasseter grew up in Whittier, California. His mother's profession contributed to his growing preoccupation with animation.
more

Lee Unkrich is an American director, film editor and screenwriter. He is a longtime member of the creative team at Pixar, where he started in 1994 as a film editor. He later began directing, first as co-director of Toy Story 2. After co-directing Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo, Unkrich made his... solo directorial debut with Toy Story 3, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2011. Unkrich is the 2011 recipient of University of Southern California's Mary Pickford Distinguished Alumni Award recognizing alumni contributions to the cinematic arts. With the award, Unkrich joins a list of distinguished USC alumni including Robert Zemeckis, Walter Murch, Jon Landau, Gary Rydstrom and Jay Roach. A native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Unkrich spent his youth acting at the Cleveland Playhouse. Unkrich graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts in 1990. Before joining Pixar in 1994, Unkrich worked for several years in television as an editor and director.
more

Ash Brannon is an American animator, writer and director. He was a story artist and directing animator on Toy Story and co-director on Toy Story 2. Besides working at Pixar he has also worked with Dreamworks Animation on Over the Hedge and Sony Pictures Animation on Surf's Up. Brannon studied... TV/Film at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida for high school and went on to CalArts for further education. Studying in CalArts Character Animation program, Brannon likewise practiced his skills in animation as a trainee for Disney's The Little Mermaid. From 1990-92. In the meantime, Brannon served as an animator for such projects as Nike's Hare Jordan Super Bowl ad in 1992 and the television series That's Warner Bros.!. He 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 on Toy Story 2. He was also nominated for an Oscar in 2007 on Surf's Up. According to the Toy Story 2: Special Edition commentary Al McWhiggin's license plate reads "LZTYBRN," which is "Al's Toy Barn" minus the vowel letters.
more