Kevin Lima | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1962-06-12)June 12, 1962 (age 62)[1][2] |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Known for | A Goofy Movie Tarzan 102 Dalmatians Enchanted |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Joaquin Lima Caroline Lillian Bourdeau |
Kevin Lima (born June 12, 1962) is an Americanfilm director and animator who has directedA Goofy Movie (1995),Tarzan (1999),102 Dalmatians (2000), andEnchanted (2007). He is married toBrenda Chapman, the head of story forThe Lion King (1994) and the co-director ofThe Prince of Egypt (1998).
Kevin was born inPawtucket, Rhode Island. His grandparents were bothPortuguese.[citation needed]
Lima studied film and animation at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts, during the mid-1980s. Lima's student filmLet's Misbehave was later preserved by theAcademy Film Archive in 2012.[4] After graduation, he went to Taiwan for half a year to work onThe Brave Little Toaster (1987). Then, he worked onThe Chipmunk Adventure (1987), where he metGlen Keane, one of many artists, who had left Disney afterThe Black Cauldron (1985) had failed at the box office. Keane persuaded Lima to apply at Disney, where he got a job, despite the fact that he was turned down three years earlier. At Disney, Lima worked as a character animator onThe Great Mouse Detective (1986)[5] andOliver & Company (1988), as a character designer onThe Little Mermaid (1989),The Rescuers Down Under (1990), andBeauty and the Beast (1991), and as a storyboard artist forAladdin (1992). Wanting to direct a feature film, he left Disney forHyperion Pictures, where he worked on the television seriesItsy Bitsy Spider and films such asBebe's Kids (1992).[6]
He returned to Disney where he directed the animated filmA Goofy Movie (1995). Before the film's release, Lima had been approached byJeffrey Katzenberg to directTarzan (1999). He initially declined the offer as he was confounded by Katzenberg's decision to have the film animated inCanada under theWalt Disney Television Animation division. Months later, he was asked again byMichael Eisner to direct the film, but instead animated by the Feature Animation division.[7] He accepted, and months later, he was paired withChris Buck. Following the release ofTarzan (1999), Lima wanted to direct live-action films, and subsequently left Disney once again.
Soon after, Lima was offered byGlenn Close, who had voiced Kala inTarzan, to direct her on102 Dalmatians (2000), which had just lost its director.[8] Afterwards, he went on to direct two television films starringJulie Andrews,Eloise at the Plaza (2003) andEloise at Christmastime (2003). Lima was an executive producer onThe Wild (2006). Since 2000, Lima had wanted to direct the filmEnchanted (2007), but he was repeatedly turned it down because the script was too dark, and that he was not "funny enough to do this film". The revised script eventually was green-lit, and in 2007Enchanted was released to a positive critical reception.[6]
After directingEnchanted (2007), Lima was set to direct several eventually shelved projects, including a live-action feature adaptation of the classic tale ofTom Thumb entitledThumb,[9] a film based on theCandy Land board game,[10] a remake of the 1964 filmThe Incredible Mr. Limpet,[11] a comedy film starringHugh Jackman titledAvon Man,[12] and an untitled live-action/CG film forSony Pictures Animation.[13]
In July 2011,DreamWorks Animation announced that Lima was directingMonkeys of Mumbai,[14][15] aBollywood-style animated musical adventure inspired by the Indian epic taleRamayana, and told through the point of view of its monkeys.A. R. Rahman andStephen Schwartz had been attached to compose the score and write the lyrics for the film, respectively.[16] In September 2012, it was announced that the film would be released on December 19, 2015,[17] but was half a year later rescheduled to March 18, 2016.[18] In June 2014, the release date was pushed back to March 10, 2017.[19] In January 2015, it was confirmed that the film was placed back intodevelopment with no release date attached.[20] The film was ultimately cancelled after DreamWorks Animation's acquisition byUniversal Pictures.[21]
In July 2018, it was reported that Lima and Chapman had signed afirst look deal with20th Century Fox to produce live action, animated, or hybrid films through their production company.[22]
In January 2022, Lima was attached to directNo Flying in the House, a live-action/hybrid feature film adaptation of a children's book, with Sony Pictures.[23]
| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Chipmunk Adventure | Animator | [24] |
| Sport Goofy in Soccermania | |||
| The Brave Little Toaster | Animator / Character Designer / Developmental Animator | ||
| 1988 | Oliver & Company | Story / Character Animator | |
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | Character Designer | |
| 1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | Character Designer / Visual Development Artist | |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Visual Development Artist | |
| Rover Dangerfield | Additional Character Designer | ||
| 1992 | Aladdin | Story | |
| 1995 | A Goofy Movie | Director | Voiced Lester, Roxanne's Father and the Security Guard |
| 1999 | Tarzan | Co-director withChris Buck | |
| 2000 | 102 Dalmatians | ||
| 2003 | Eloise at the Plaza | ||
| Eloise at Christmastime | |||
| 2006 | The Wild | Executive Producer | |
| 2007 | Enchanted | Director | Voiced Pip in New York |
| TBA | No Flying in the House |
But much like "Enchanted," the new animation-live-action hybrid film he just finished directing, the 45-year-old Rhode Island native doesn't exactly fit the Disney mold.
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