Artists, Creator Conversations, Speakers

Brenda Chapman Story Teller

CTN is extremely proud to be able to include the multi-talented story teller, Brenda Chapman at the event this year. As an American Animation Director and Writer her talent and strength continues to represent and inspire creators in our industry both of today and tomorrow.  Please help us welcome this very talented lady to CTN.

A native of the state of Illinois, Chapman studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). During her summer breaks, she began her professional career working in syndicated television animation. After graduating with a BFA in character animation, she was a story trainee on Disney’s animated film The Little Mermaid. She was one of several key story artists on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, where she worked closely with future Disney director Roger Allers to define many of the key sequences and motifs used in the film. She later served as head of story for the Disney animated feature film, The Lion King, overseeing both the writers and the artists on the project. The Lion King is unique in Disney Animation history in that it is the only major animated feature produced by the studio that was not based on a previously extant story (i.e., it was conceived and developed entirely by the Disney Feature Animation team).

Chapman also worked in story and development for other Disney animated films such as The Rescuers Down Under and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She joined DreamWorks Animation at its inception in the fall of 1994, and went on to work and director for Pixar Animation Studios.
She also worked on Dennis the Menace, The Real Ghostbusters, Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling, the second season of Heathcliff, Chicken Run, Cars and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Chapman was one of a team of three directors who worked on 1998′s The Prince of Egypt, along with Steve Hickner and Simon Wells. She became the first woman to land a directing role in an animated feature by a major studio;[1] three others had helmed independent efforts before her (Lotte Reiniger of The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Joy Batchelor of Animal Farm, and Arna Selznick of The Care Bears Movie).

She is currently consulting for Lucas Film and is the owner of Brenda-Chapman.com.

“I’m passionate about the film and animation industries, about women in film and in tech, about learning and mentoring young people and about featuring and supporting people who are doing good. Good work, good deeds, good ideas — I like them all!” ~Brenda Chapman

ASK THE ARTIST NOW: If you could ask this artist about his technique, his talent, what he feels is the next step in his career, or anything at all, what would it be? Share your questions and comments to this amazing artist by posting below and they will be shared with the artist. The artist will answer them onsite at CTNx2012 and the answers will be posted here.