Creative Leadership

A deck by Yvette Beaumont · 9 cards

Key directors and screenwriters responsible for the studio's narrative style.

Angus MacLane

Angus MacLane is an American animator, filmmaker and voice actor, best known for his work at Pixar Animation Studios. He co-directed the film Finding Dory (2016) and made his solo feature directorial debut with the Toy Story spin-off film Lightyear (2022). MacLane is also a Lego enthusiast and created the CubeDudes building format and designed a LEGO WALL-E that has become an official set from The Lego Group.

Brad Bird

Philip Bradley Bird (born September 24, 1957) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He developed an interest in the art of animation early on, and completed his first short subject by age 14. Bird sent the film to Walt Disney Productions, leading to an apprenticeship from the studio's Nine Old Men. He attended the California Institute of the Arts in the late 1970s, and worked for Disney shortly thereafter.

Andrew Stanton

Andrew Ayers Stanton is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He is best known as the director and co-writer of the Pixar animated films Finding Nemo (2003), WALL-E (2008), Finding Dory (2016), and Toy Story 5 (2026). He also directed and co-wrote the live-action film John Carter (2012) for Walt Disney Pictures and directed the live-action film In the Blink of an Eye (2026) for Searchlight Pictures. For Pixar, Stanton was additionally the co-director and co-writer of A Bug's Life (1998), the co-writer of the first four Toy Story films (1995–2019) and Monsters, Inc. (2001), and occasional voice actor for various films, most notably Crush the Turtle from Finding Nemo.

Pete Docter

Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American filmmaker and animator. He has served as chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar since 2018. He has directed the company's animated films Monsters, Inc. (2001), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Soul (2020).

Lee Unkrich

Lee Edward Unkrich is an American film director, editor and writer. He is best known for his work with animation studio Pixar, which he joined in 1994 as an editor before being credited as a co-director on Toy Story 2 (1999).

Brenda Chapman

Brenda Chapman (born 1962 or 1963) is an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and director. In 1998, she became the first woman to direct an animated feature from a major studio, DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt. In 2012, she directed the Disney/Pixar film Brave with Mark Andrews (and co-direction from Steve Purcell), becoming the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Joe Ranft

Joseph Henry Ranft was an American animator, screenwriter, and voice actor. 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.

Dan Scanlon

Daniel Scanlon (born June 21, 1976) is an American filmmaker, storyboard artist, and animator. He is best known for directing the Pixar animated films Monsters University (2013) and Onward (2020), with the latter nominating him for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Domee Shi

Domee Shi (; Chinese: 石之予; pinyin: Shí Zhīyǔ; born 8 September 1989) is a Canadian animator, film director and screenwriter. She has directed the short film Bao (2018) and the feature films Turning Red (2022) and Elio (2025), becoming the first woman to direct a short film and then the first woman with sole director's credit on a feature film for Pixar. Shi began working for Pixar in 2011 as a storyboard artist, contributing to multiple films, including Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), and Toy Story 4 (2019). She was also an additional story artist for Incredibles 2 (2018).