Kelly Asbury
Asbury in 2016
Born	Kelly Adam Asbury (1960-01-15)January 15, 1960 Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 26, 2020(2020-06-26) (aged 60) Encino, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills
Alma mater	Lamar UniversityCalifornia Institute of the Arts
Occupations	Film director writer voice actor illustrator
Years active	1982–2019
Employers	Walt Disney Animation Studios (1983–1995, 2009–2013) DreamWorks Animation (1995–2009)
Notable work	Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Shrek 2 Gnomeo & Juliet Smurfs: The Lost Village UglyDolls
Spouses	Loretta Weeks ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 2006)​ Jacquie Boggs ​ (m. 2011)​

Kelly Adam Asbury (January 15, 1960 – June 26, 2020) was an American film director, writer, voice actor, and illustrator. He was best known for directing the animated filmsSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002),Shrek 2 (2004),Gnomeo & Juliet (2011),Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017), andUglyDolls (2019).

Asbury was born on January 15, 1960, inBeaumont, Texas, the son of Josephine Margaret (Lebeouf) and Donald Leslie Asbury. His father Donald died from cancer when Asbury was 12.^[1] He attendedLamar University for two years before transferring to the renownedCalifornia Institute of the Arts in 1980, where he studied animation and filmmaking.^[2]

Asbury got his start atWalt Disney Feature Animation from 1983 to 1995, and contributed storyboards for several animated films includingThe Little Mermaid andBeauty and the Beast, as well asPixar's first feature film,Toy Story.^[3] In 1993, he was the assistant art director onTim Burton'sThe Nightmare Before Christmas.^[4]

In 1995, he began working forDreamWorks Animation, and directed twoAcademy Award-nominated feature films,Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002) andShrek 2 (2004). In addition to directing, he provided some of the extra voices inShrek 2 andShrek the Third.

He directed and co-wrote the animated filmGnomeo & Juliet (2011), for which he also provided the voices of the tiny Red Goon Gnomes. He was nominated for twoAnnie Awards for directing and co-writing that film.^[5]

In 2003, he wrote anon-fiction book,Dummy Days, abiography of five 20th-centuryventriloquists. He wrote and illustrated twelve children's books,^[6] includingRusty's Red Vacation,Bonnie's Blue House, andYolanda's Yellow School.^[7]

In mid-2011 to mid-2012, Asbury briefly returned to Disney to contribute storyboards toWreck-It Ralph andFrozen. His final directing credits wereSmurfs: The Lost Village forSony Pictures Animation andUglyDolls forSTX Entertainment.

• Shrek – In 1997, Asbury was tapped to make his directorial debut with a film adaptation of the children's bookShrek! alongsideAndrew Adamson. He dropped out a year later in favor ofSpirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and was replaced byVicky Jenson, but remained as a story artist and received special thanks on the finished film. He later co-directed its sequel,Shrek 2.
• The Thief of Always – In 2006, following the success ofShrek 2, it was announced that Asbury would hired to write and direct a live-action film based onClive Barker’s children's bookThe Thief of Always, for20th Century Fox and Seraphim Films. The film would've been Asbury's first foray into live-action filmmaking, but the rights would revert to Barker.^[8]
• Pooch Café – In 2011, Asbury was brought in by Sony Pictures Animation to write a new draft for a film adaptation of thePooch Café comic strip.^[9][10]
• Will Gallows and the Snake-Bellied Troll – In 2011, following the success ofGnomeo and Juliet, Asbury was hired byRocket Pictures to write and direct alive-action/animated film based on the children's bookWill Gallows and the Snake-Bellied Troll. The film would've been Asbury's first foray into live-action filmmaking after his attempt at “The Thief of Always” failed.^[11]
• Kazorn & The Unicorn – In 2012,Deadline reported that Asbury was in talks with Sony Pictures Animation to make an animated fantasy film titledKazorn & The Unicorn. It would have followed the adventures of a young man and a unicorn as he seeks to locate a powerful weapon and prove his worth to his true love. Lloyd Taylor was writing the screenplay.Sam Raimi, Josh Donen, and Russell Hollander were producing the film.^[12]Troy Quane (Spies in Disguise,Nimona) was later hired to co-direct the film with Asbury, but the film has since been put on hold.^[13]
• Horacio 3D – In 2013, Asbury was tapped to write a Brazilian animated film based on theMonica's Gang character Horacio, originally scheduled for a 2017 release. According to animator Fábio Mendes, Asbury was intended to direct the film.^[14] But as of 2020, nothing has come from the project.^[15]

Asbury died ofabdominal cancer on June 26, 2020, in his home,Encino, Los Angeles, at age 60. He was cremated, his ashes were buried atForest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills.^[16][17] He was featured in theIn Memoriam section of the93rd Academy Awards, andSpirit Untamed was dedicated to his memory.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toKelly Asbury.

• Animated Views: Gnomeo & Juliet’s director Kelly Asbury Opens His Secret Garden!
• Kelly Asbury atIMDb

• 1960 births
• 2020 deaths
• Actors from Beaumont, Texas
• American animated film directors
• American art directors
• American male screenwriters
• American male voice actors
• American storyboard artists
• Animators from Texas
• Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
• California Institute of the Arts alumni
• Deaths from stomach cancer in California
• DreamWorks Animation people
• Film directors from Texas
• Lamar University alumni
• Male actors from Texas
• Screenwriters from Texas
• Sony people
• Sony Pictures Entertainment people
• Sony Pictures Animation people
• Walt Disney Animation Studios people

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