Brenda Chapman | |
|---|---|
 Chapman at JDIFF 2012 | |
| Born | 1962 or 1963 (age 62–63) Beason, Illinois, U.S. |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
| Employers |
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| Notable work | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Brave (2012) |
Brenda Chapman (born 1962 or 1963)[1] 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'sThe Prince of Egypt.[2] In 2012, she directed theDisney/Pixar filmBrave withMark Andrews (and co-direction fromSteve Purcell), becoming the first woman to win theAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature.[3][4]
Chapman was born inBeason, Illinois[5] as the youngest of five.[6] She went toLincoln College inLincoln, Illinois, receiving herAssociate of Arts degree.[7] She then moved to California and studied animation at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
During her summer breaks, Chapman began her professional career working in syndicated television animation. In 1987, she graduated with aBFA in character animation, and was hired as a story trainee onThe Little Mermaid (1989). Chapman then worked as a storyboard artist onThe Rescuers Down Under (1990) andBeauty and the Beast (1991), where she worked closely withRoger Allers to define many of the key sequences and motifs used in the film. She later served as head of story, the first woman to do so in an animated feature film, forThe Lion King (1994).
Chapman joinedDreamWorks Animation at its inception in the fall of 1994. Chapman was one of a team of three directors who worked on 1998'sThe Prince of Egypt, along withSteve Hickner andSimon Wells. She became the first female director for an animated feature by a major studio;[4] three others had previously helmed independent efforts includingLotte Reiniger ofThe Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926),Joy Batchelor ofAnimal Farm (1954), andArna Selznick ofThe Care Bears Movie (1985).[4][8] She also worked onChicken Run, and several projects in development while at DreamWorks before leaving the studio on maternity leave.[9] In May 2003, Chapman and Allers were announced to directTam Lin, an adaptation of the Scottish folk ballad, forSony Pictures Animation.[10]
However, later that same year, Chapman moved toPixar after being invited by her old colleagueJoe Ranft, where she had a brief stint onCars (2006) before developingThe Bear and the Bow, which was re-titledBrave (2012).[9] In April 2008, Chapman was announced as the director of the film, making her Pixar's first female director.[11][12] In October 2010, however, she was replaced byMark Andrews following creative disagreements between her andJohn Lasseter.[13] There were rumors that she subsequently left Pixar, but she remained on staff until shortly after the film's release.[14] In 2012, Chapman's work inBrave won her anAcademy Award,BAFTA, andGolden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film, making her the first woman to win this category.[15] By July 2012, Chapman worked as a consultant atLucasfilm Animation,[16] helping to resolve story problems onStrange Magic (2015).[17][18][19] When asked whether she will return to Pixar, Chapman responded by saying she has no desire to go back there feeling that "[t]he atmosphere and the leadership doesn't fit well with me."[17]
In 2013, she returned toDreamWorks Animation,[1][20] where she helped in developingRumblewick that had a strong female protagonist and was described as "funny with magic and heart."[17][21] Chapman then left DreamWorks shortly afterwards.[9] As of 2016, she began developing projects for Chapman Lima Productions, with her husband Kevin Lima.[21][22]
In May 2016, it was reported that Chapman would make her live-action directorial debut withCome Away (2020), a fantasy drama that serves as a prequel toAlice in Wonderland andPeter Pan.[23] In May 2018, it was reported thatAngelina Jolie andDavid Oyelowo were portraying the parents of Alice and Peter, with both actors also serving as producers.[24]Anna Chancellor andClarke Peters joined the cast in August, with filming inLondon starting that same month.[25]
In February 2020, it was reported that Chapman was attached to write and direct alive-action hybrid film adaptation ofGhost Squad.[26] In December of that year, Chapman stated she had "kind of stepped away" from the project, deciding instead to work on other projects with Lima. She also stated she was writing "a novel and thinking about turning it into an animated screenplay."[27]
Chapman is married to directorKevin Lima (A Goofy Movie,Tarzan,Enchanted), whom she met at California Institute of the Arts.[1] They have a daughter, Emma Rose Lima (b. 1999), who was the inspiration for Mérida,Brave's young princess.[1][20][28] Emma has also been featured as a voice actress for Disney movies such asBambi II andEnchanted.[29] They reside inTamalpais Valley, California.[30] Chapman claims Scottish ancestry.[14] In 2014, Chapman urged Scots to back independence in theSeptember referendum.[31]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Artistic Supervisor | Story Artist | Other | Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | No | No | No | No | Yes | In-between Artist: Additional Animation | |
| Oliver & Company | No | No | No | No | Yes | |||
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 1994 | The Lion King | No | No | Story | No | No | ||
| 1996 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Miriam (singing) | |
| 1999 | Fantasia 2000 | No | No | No | No | Yes | Original Concept: "The Pines of Rome" | |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | No | No | No | Additional | No | ||
| Chicken Run | No | No | No | Additional | No | |||
| 2001 | Shrek | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks | |
| 2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | No | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2006 | Cars | No | No | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2007 | Ratatouille | No | No | No | No | Yes | Pixar Productions | |
| 2008 | WALL-E | No | No | No | No | Yes | Pixar Senior Creative Team | |
| 2009 | Up | No | No | No | No | Yes | Dog[32] | |
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | No | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2011 | Cars 2 | No | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2012 | Brave | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2015 | Strange Magic | No | No | No | No | Yes | Imp | Story Consultant |
| 2019 | The Lion King | No | No | No | No | Yes | Thanks | |
| 2020 | Come Away | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Heathcliff | lip sync checker 21 episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling | character designer 5 episodes |
| 1986 | Dennis the Menace | lip sync checker 65 episodes |
| 1986–1987 | The Real Ghostbusters | animator 76 episodes lip sync checker 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Cartoon Sushi | special thanks 1 episode |
