Lee Unkrich
Lee Unkrich is an acclaimed director and editor in the field of animated films, celebrated for his work on notable projects such as *Toy Story 3* (2010) and *Coco* (2017), both of which received critical acclaim and numerous awards. Born on August 8, 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio, Unkrich's passion for storytelling began in his youth, performing in theater and later pursuing film studies at the University of Southern California. His career took off when he joined Pixar, starting as an editor on the groundbreaking *Toy Story* (1995), the first full-length computer-animated film.
Unkrich's role in Pixar grew as he worked on several hit films, including *Monsters, Inc.* and *Finding Nemo*, both of which further established his reputation in animation. As the sole director of *Toy Story 3*, he faced the challenge of meeting high expectations, successfully delivering a film that resonated emotionally with audiences and critics alike, earning him an Academy Award. His later work on *Coco*, which explores themes of culture and family, also garnered significant acclaim. Following his departure from Pixar in 2019 to focus on personal projects, Unkrich has maintained a connection to the industry through consultancy roles. Outside of his professional life, he is a family man and publicly identifies as bisexual, adding to the diverse narrative surrounding his personal and professional journey.
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Subject Terms
Lee Unkrich
Director
- Born: August 8, 1967
- Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio
Contribution: Lee Unkrich is a director and editor of animated films who is best known for his work on the Academy Award–winning box-office hits Toy Story 3 (2010) and Coco (2017).
Background
Lee Unkrich was born on August 8, 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio. When he was eleven years old, he began performing in shows at the Cleveland Play House Youth Theatre. He continued to participate in theater in high school and also became increasingly interested in art. After graduating from high school in 1985, Unkrich attended the University of Southern California film school, following which he began working as a film editor.
Career
Unkrich’s first job was as a production assistant for the HBO television movie Prison Stories: Women on the Inside (1991). He then worked as an assistant editor on eleven episodes of the television series Renegade that aired in 1993. Unkrich followed these projects with two 1994 television movies, serving as assistant editor on Betrayed by Love and editor on Separated by Murder.
Also in 1994, Unkrich made a life-changing career move when he joined the animation company Pixar to edit Toy Story (1995), a film about a group of toys and the rivalry between a pull-string cowboy doll and a spaceman action figure. Toy Story was the first full-length computer-animated film and featured the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The film was a box-office hit and was widely praised for both its story and its animation, kicking off an unprecedented string of critical and commercial successes for the studio.
Unkrich next worked as an editor on A Bug’s Life (1998), Pixar’s follow-up to Toy Story, about a group of insects who must protect an ant colony from grasshoppers. It, too, won the praise of critics, and Unkrich was promoted to codirector for Toy Story 2 (1999), which continued the story from its predecessor and was hailed by many as superior to the original. Unkrich reprised his role as codirector for Monsters, Inc. (2001), starring Billy Crystal and John Goodman as monsters who must scare children to generate power for their city, and then again for Finding Nemo (2003), the story of a clown fish who must find his lost son. Finding Nemo won the 2004 Academy Award for best animated feature, a category that had been created in 2002.
In 2006, the Walt Disney Company bought Pixar, and Unkrich was made the sole director and cowriter of Toy Story 3. There was immense pressure to succeed, as Pixar’s last ten movies had all been huge successes with audiences and critics alike. The script for Toy Story 3 took over two years to write and storyboard; Unkrich drew from his own childhood to devise the story, which deals with the toys coping with an uncertain future as their owner leaves for college. He worked with Ken Schretzmann, whom he had previously worked with on Monsters, Inc., to edit the film. When the time came to film, Unkrich worked closely with the voice actors as well, making sure that they stayed consistent with their characters in the previous movies. Altogether, the project took four years to complete.
Toy Story 3 premiered in June 2010 to rave reviews, becoming Pixar’s eleventh hit movie in a row. Critics praised the film’s emotional resonance and its blend of action and comedy, agreeing that it met the high expectations set by the previous Toy Story films. International sales of the movie reached $1.1 billion, and in 2009, Unkrich was awarded the Venice Film Festival’s honorary Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement. At the 2011 Academy Awards, he took home the Oscar for best animated feature; the film was also nominated for best picture, only the third animated film ever to receive that honor. The film also won that year's Golden Globe Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for best animated film.
Unkrich went on to create the story for and direct the family comedy Coco (2017) with Adrian Molina. The feature animation, about a young Mexican musician journeying through the Land of the Dead, won both critical and popular acclaim: it garnered an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award as well as more than $800 million in worldwide box-office sales.
In addition to directing, Unkrich served as an executive producer for the well-received Monsters University (2013) and The Good Dinosaur (2015) and a producer for the Golden Globe–nominated Toy Story 4 (2019). Unkrich resigned from Pixar in 2019 in order to devote himself to family and passion projects. However, in 2023, it was revealed that Unkrich had occasionally worked at Pixar as a consultant.
Unkrich co-wrote and edited the book Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, which was published in 2023.
Impact
Once Lee Unkrich switched from live-action television to animation editing, he quickly found success with a string of critical and commercial hits. The first film for which he served as sole director, Toy Story 3, not only ensured Pixar’s continuing success and delivered a critically acclaimed third installment in a beloved film franchise but also earned Unkrich his first Academy Award. His quarter-century tenure at Pixar was marked by numerous commercial and critical successes, and his leadership and mentorship at the animation studio influenced the filmmakers who followed.
Personal Life
Unkrich is married to Laura Century. The couple has three children, Hannah, Alice, and Max. They live in Northern California. In 2022, Unkrich publicly revealed that he is bisexual.
Bibliography
Debruge, Peter. “Directors Drive Pixar Pics.” Variety 31 Aug. 2009: A29. Print.
Dobuzinskis, Alex. “Toy Story 3 Wins Oscar for Animated Feature.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 3 Sept. 2013.
Hartlaub, Peter. “Toy Story 3 Director Unkrich Earns Spotlight.” SFGate. Hearst Communications, 2 May 2010. Web. 3 Sept. 2013.
Kit, Borys. “‘Coco’ Director Lee Unkrich Leaving Pixar after 25 Years (Exclusive).” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2019, www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/coco-director-lee-unkrich-leaving-pixar-25-years-1177411. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
O’Connor, Clint. “Toy Story 3: Director Lee Unkrich, from Chagrin Falls, Doesn’t Want to Break Pixar’s Golden Streak.” Cleveland.com. Northeast Ohio Media Group, 12 June 2010. Web. 3 Sept. 2013.
Unkrich, Lee. "I Got a Bit Drunk with the Twins’: Toy Story 3’s Lee Unkrich on His Obsession with The Shining." The Guardian, 9 Dec. 2022, app.contentstack.com/#!/stack/blt575edc14fa8659d9/content-type/article/en-us/entry/blt435c26dc9a0a697e/edit?branch=main. Accessed 24 Sept. 2024.
Unkrich, Lee. “Toy Story 3 Director Lee Unkrich on His Obsession with Kubrick’s The Shining.” Interview by Bilge Ebiri. Vulture. New York Media, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 3 Sept. 2013.
West, Kelly. “Pixar’s Lee Unkrich on the Dia de los Muertos Film and Facing the Reality of Death.” CinemaBlend.com. Cinema Blend, 14 Sept. 2012. Web. 3 Sept. 2013.