Brad Bird
USABiography of Brad Bird
Brad Bird is an American animation director and screenwriter. He was born in 1957 in Montana, USA. At the age of 11, after visiting Walt Disney Studios, Bird told his parents that he would become one of its animators someday. By the age of 14, Bird had already created his first animated film and enrolled in a studio for further education. His mentor was Milt Kahl, one of the best artists to have worked for Disney. Bird then studied at the California Institute of the Arts on a grant from Disney, where he met future Pixar co-founder, John Lasseter. After graduating, Bird briefly worked with Disney but soon left to pursue his own projects.
Early Career and "The Iron Giant"
Bird's first notable film was "The Iron Giant" (1999), which he made for Warner Bros. Although the film received critical acclaim, it did not perform well at the box office. However, it caught the attention of John Lasseter, who invited Bird to work on "The Incredibles" (released in 2004) for Pixar, which by then was owned by Disney. "The Incredibles" became one of Pixar's best films, and Bird became the first person entrusted by the studio to complete a screenplay on his own.
Success with "Ratatouille"
After the resounding success of "The Incredibles," Pixar management invited Bird to direct "Ratatouille" – a project that had been taken over from another director. There is no doubt that no one could have brought the story of a rat-turned-chef to life better than Bird. "Ratatouille" was acclaimed by both critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, a website that aggregates reviews, "Ratatouille" was considered the best-reviewed film of 2007.
Oscar Nominations
Brad Bird received a double Oscar nomination for "Ratatouille" - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Screenplay. In the Best Original Screenplay category, Bird will be competing against the following screenwriters and their films:
- Diablo Cody, "Juno"
- Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
- Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
- Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"
In the Best Animated Feature category, "Ratatouille" will be up against two other films: "Persepolis" and "Surf's Up."
