Brad Bird

Philip Bradley Bird was born on September 24, 1957, in Kalispell, Montana. His early fascination with filmmaking led him to begin animating his first short subject at age 11. That same year, he toured Walt Disney Productions, where he met the legendary Nine Old Men animators and declared his intention to join their team. Two years later, he completed his first 15-minute animated short, impressing the company. By age 14, Bird was mentored by Disney animator Milt Kahl. After graduating from Corvallis High School in Oregon in 1975, he received a scholarship from Disney to attend the California Institute of the Arts, where he befriended fellow future animator John Lasseter.

Bird’s professional career began at Walt Disney Productions, where he contributed to films such as “The Small One” (1978) and “The Fox and the Hound” (1981). After a period of development deals and collaborations, including co-writing the screenplay for “Batteries Not Included” (1987) and working with Steven Spielberg on “Amazing Stories,” Bird became an executive consultant for “The Simpsons” in 1989, where he significantly influenced its visual style. He went on to direct and write the critically acclaimed animated film “The Iron Giant” (1999), and although it was a box-office bomb initially, it later gained a strong cult following.

His career significantly advanced after joining Pixar. He wrote and directed “The Incredibles” (2004) and “Ratatouille” (2007), both of which earned him Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature. Bird transitioned to live-action directing with “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” (2011), a commercial success. He later returned to Pixar, writing and directing “Incredibles 2” (2018), which achieved significant box-office success. His upcoming projects include “Ray Gunn” and “Incredibles 3,” the latter of which he will write and executive produce.