Jim Capobianco (born 1969) is an American film director, animator and screenwriter. He has worked as a story artist and storyboard artist for films such as The Lion King (1994), Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Finding Dory (2016).
In 2008, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille (2007). In 2023, he wrote and directed the animated feature film The Inventor, about Leonardo da Vinci's life in France.
Career Raised in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, Capobianco attended Saddle Brook High School.Leitgeb, Charles. "Class is 'state of the art'; High school course draws rave reviews", Herald News, February 7, 1986. Accessed November 13, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Three of Stauss's prize students from the high school Dawn Sedlmeir, Tom Bolognini and James Capobianco have received awards and prizes for their works."
A graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, Capobianco started in the story department at Walt Disney Feature Animation on The Lion King (1994). He then worked on the storyboards for Hunchback of Notre Dame (1999) and Fantasia 2000 (1999). Capobianco has also worked for Pixar, on storyboards for films such as A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), and Finding Dory (2016).
In 2007, he wrote and directed the animated short film Your Friend the Rat, and co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film Ratatouille, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
In 2009, Capobianco co-founded with Shelley Trott the Bay Area International Children's Film Festival. That same year, he directed Leonardo, a short film about Leonardo da Vinci, now in the permanent collection of the MoMA NYC.
With Aerial Contrivance Workshop, Capobianco was the 2D animation sequence director for Walt Disney Motion Pictures' Mary Poppins Returns (2018), and also wrote and directed the 2023 stop-motion animated feature film The Inventor, a continuation of his short Leonardo, focused on the end of Leonardo da Vinci's life in France.
Filmography Aerial Contrivance Workshop 2009: Leonardo (short film) - writer, director and producer 2009: How To be a Good Bagger - writer and director 2018: Mary Poppins Returns - Animation Sequence Director 2022: Philharmonia Fantastique - story and animation director 2023: The Inventor - writer, director and producer
As animator 1989: Baby's Bedtime
Netflix Animation 2020: Go Go Cory Carson - voice of Gary Garbage Truck
Pixar 1998: A Bug's Life - story artist 1999: Toy Story 2 - story artist 2001: Monsters, Inc. - story artist 2003: Finding Nemo - story artist 2007: Ratatouille - writer / story-supervisor 2007: Your Friend the Rat - writer / director 2008: Wall•E - directed the end credits 2009: Up - story artist 2015: Inside Out - story artist 2016: Finding Dory - story artist 2017: Coco - storyboards
Cartoon Saloon 2014: Song of the Sea - story consultant 2017: Breadwinner - story consultant 2020: Wolfwalkers - story consultant
Disney Feature Animation 1994: The Lion King - storyboards 1996: Hunchback of Notre Dame - storyboards 1999: Fantasia 2000 - storyboards
Awards and nominations Award / Festival Year Category Nominated work Result Online Film & Television Association Awards 2007 Best Original ScreenplayRatatouille Academy Awards 2008 Best Original Screenplay Annie Awards 2008 Best Animated Short Subject Your Friend the Rat Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Awards 2019 Best Visual Effects Mary Poppins Returns Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2023 Best Feature Film The Inventor
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