Brad Bird

Phillip Bradley Bird is an American animator, film director, screenwriter, producer, and voice actor. Born in Kalispell, Montana, Bird developed a love for the art of animation at an early age and was mentored by Milt Kahl, one of Disney's reputed Nine Old Men. He was part of one of the earliest graduating classes of the California Institute of the Arts with John Lasseter and Tim Burton. Afterwards, Bird began his career as an animator for Disney in the films The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron and wrote the screenplay for Batteries Not Included. He also served as a creative consultant on "The Simpsons" during its first eight seasons, where he helped develop the show's animation style.

In 1999, Bird directed his debut animated feature film, The Iron Giant. Although it fared poorly at the box office, it came to be regarded as a modern animated classic. He rejoined Lasseter at Pixar in 2000, where he developed the films The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Both films place among Pixar's highest-grossing features and earned Bird two Academy Award for Best Animated Feature wins and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nominations. In 2011, Bird directed his debut live action film, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which was a critical and commercial success. His second live action film, Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney, was released in 2015. In 2018, Bird returned to animation with Incredibles 2. It went on to become Pixar's highest grossing film and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.