Ron Clements
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Ron Clements
Biography
As one-half (along with frequent collaborator John Musker) of the duo often credited with re-establishing Disney as the home of inspired family entertainment, writer/director/animator Ron Clements shot to fame in the late '80s and early '90s with such classics as The Little Mermaid (1989) and Aladdin (1992). Even when Disney faced hard times, Clements remained faithful to the company which provided him with his first big break -- a rare show of character in the cutthroat world of show-business. A Sioux City, IA, native, Clements worked for a few months at Hanna-Barbara before enrolling in Disney's Talent Development Program; by the time he was finished with his two-year apprenticeship at the Mouse House, he had gained valuable experience working with supervising animator Frank Thomas. Character animation duties came with such late-'70s efforts as The Rescuers and Pete's Dragon (both 1977), and four years later Clements became the animation supervisor on The Fox and the Hound. An early collaboration with Musker resulted in the ambitious, but flawed The Black Cauldron (1985), and though that film didn't fare so well, the duo hit a home run the following year with The Great Mouse Detective. Based on a short that Clements had made in his years prior to joining Disney, it served as a suitable precursor to what would become the studio's biggest hit in some time, 1989's The Little Mermaid.Written and directed by Clements and Musker and based on a beloved tale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid proved just the breakthrough hit that Disney needed to bring its name back to the forefront of family entertainment. The movie possessed all the magic and wonder of the company's best work and, in 1990, it won two Academy Awards (Best Song and Best Original Score). The team enjoyed continued success with the release of 1992's Aladdin, and that film was also awarded Best Song and Score Oscars. Though Hercules (1997) proved that their cinematic magic was still there, by the release of 2002's Treasure Planet (which Clements and Musker had pitched during their Little Mermaid years), the well seemed to have run dry. An inventive combination of Star Wars and Treasure Island, the film's richly rendered 2-D animation simply paled in comparison with such stunning Pixar efforts as Toy Story (1995) and A Bug's Life (1998), both of which contained as much heart as technical wizardry. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Ron Clements
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Ron Clements
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Ron Clements
| Ron Clements | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ronald Francis Clements[1] April 25, 1953 (age 59) Sioux City, Iowa |
| Occupation | Animator, Film director, Producer, Screenwriter |
| Employer | Walt Disney Animation Studios |
| Spouse | Tamara Lee Glumace (1989–)[1] |
Ronald Francis "Ron" Clements (born April 25, 1953) is an American animation director and producer. He is one half of America's leading contemporary animation team with John Musker.
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Life and career
Clements was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the son of Gertrude (née Gereau) and Joseph Clements.[1]
Clements began his career as an animator for Hanna-Barbera. After a few months there, he was accepted into Disney's Talent Development Program, an animator training ground and workshop. After that, he served a two year apprenticeship with famed animator Frank Thomas, a supervising animator in classic Disney films such as Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955) and The Aristocats (1970).
Clements made his feature debut as a character animator on The Rescuers (1977) and Pete's Dragon (1977). In 1981, he became the supervising animator on The Fox and the Hound. Future partner John Musker worked as a character animator under him. Clements later teamed up with Musker as story artists on the ambitious animated flop The Black Cauldron (1985). In 1986, Clements made his directorial debut alongside Musker and two other collaborators on the feature The Great Mouse Detective. This feature was based on a pre-Disney short made by Clements.
Together, Clements and Musker wrote and directed The Little Mermaid (1989), a touching retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen tale. With dazzling animation and Oscar-winning music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, it brought back critical and commercial clout for feature animation. Later on, the two wrote, directed and produced Aladdin (1992), which was an even larger success. They also directed Hercules (1997), which while not as successful as their last two films, was still well-received by critics and audiences.
Their next directorial collaboration would be the sci-fi Treasure Planet (2002), critics reviews were generally positive but it was unfortunately a commercial failure. The film lacked the songs and colorful characters which were crucial to the success of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid although he was nominated an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
However, after Disney's acquisition of Pixar in early 2006, the studio has rekindled interest towards 2-D animation thanks to new leaders John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. A new 2-D animated feature, The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, with Musker and Clements directing and Randy Newman handling the music. The film returns to the Broadway-style musical of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and other successful Disney animated films of the late '80s and early '90s.
Films directed by John Musker & Ron Clements
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Great Mouse Detective | |
| 1989 | The Little Mermaid | |
| 1992 | Aladdin | |
| 1997 | Hercules | |
| 2002 | Treasure Planet | |
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog |
Family
- Father: Joseph Clements
- Mother: Gertrude Clements
- Wife: Tami Clements
Education
Bishop Heelan Catholic High School, Sioux City, Iowa
Art Center College of Design Pasadena, California
Awards and nominations
- Edgar Allan Poe Award Best Motion Picture (Nomination) – The Great Mouse Detective, 1987
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Animation (Awarded) – Aladdin, 1992
- Annie Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Field of Animation (Awarded), 1993
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a Feature Production (Awarded) – Hercules, 1997
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Producing in a Feature Production (Awarded) – Hercules, 1997
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Animation (Awarded) – Hercules, 1997
- Academy Award Best Animated Feature (Nomination) – Treasure Planet, 2002
- Academy Award Best Animated Feature (Nomination) – The Princess and the Frog, 2009
- Annie Outstanding Directing in an Animated Feature Production (Nomination) – Treasure Planet, 2002
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Directing a Feature Production (Awarded) – The Princess and the Frog, 2009
- Annie Best Individual Achievement: Producting a Feature Production (Awarded) – The Princess and the Frog, 2009
Collaborations
John Musker and Ron Clements have cast certain actors in more than one of their films.
| The Great Mouse Detective |
The Little Mermaid |
Aladdin | Hercules | Treasure Planet |
The Princess and the Frog |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Burton |
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| Jim Cummings |
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| Keith David |
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| Frank Welker |
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References
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
