Phil Nibbelink (born June 3, 1955) is an American

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

as well as

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

writer and illustrator known for his work on films as the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated comedy film, comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall (filmmaker), Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely ad ...

'' and the 1991 cult animated sequel '' An American Tail: Fievel Goes West''.

Career

Nibbelink worked for ten years at

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

and was a directing animator on ''

''. Then he spent ten years working under

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

as an animation director, working on films such as '' An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'' (which he co-directed with Simon Wells) and ''

Casper Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * Da ...

'' as animation director. He also directed an animated adaptation of the children's book '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' for

Amblimation Amblimation was the British animation production subsidiary of Amblin Entertainment. It was formed by Steven Spielberg in May 1989, following the success of ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988), and after he parted ways with Don Bluth, due to c ...

. He was originally scheduled to co-direct ''

Balto Balto (1919 – March 14, 1933) was a Siberian Husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. He achieved fame when he reportedly led a team of sled dogs driven by Gunnar Kaasen on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to ...

'' with Wells, but production on ''We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' was incomplete, so Wells advised Nibbelink to continue working on ''We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'', while he set to work on ''Balto''. Afterwards, Nibbelink began working with Dick and Ralph Zondag (with whom he and Wells had co-directed ''We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'') on the upcoming movie, ''Cats'', until it was cancelled after Amblimation's founder and owner,

, closed the studio in 1997 and co-founded

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a divisio ...

Later works

Nibbelink later turned his attention to independent filmmaking, cranking out not one but three full-length animated features single-handedly. These films would include ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for ...

'' (1999) and '' Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss'' (2006). He is the founder and owner of his company, Phil Nibbelink Productions. His most recent project is as storyboard artist on '' Wolverine and the X-Men''.

Filmography

*'' Wolverine and the X-Men'' (2008–2009) (storyboard artist) *'' Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss'' (2006) (voice of Prince,Behind The Voice Actors
/ref> director, producer, writer, editor, animator,

background artist A background artist or sometimes called a background stylist or background painter is one who is involved in the process of animation who establishes the color, style, and mood of a scene drawn by an animation layout artist. The methods used can e ...

, songwriter) *''Leif Ericson: The Boy Who Discovered America'' (2000) (director, writer, editor, animator, background artist) *''

The Iron Giant ''The Iron Giant'' is a 1999 American animated science fiction film produced by Warner Bros. Feature Animation and directed by Brad Bird in his directorial debut. It is based on the 1968 novel '' The Iron Man'' by Ted Hughes (which was pub ...

'' (1999) (supervising animator - uncredited) *''

'' (1999) (director, writer, editor, animator, background artist, songwriter) *''Boogie Woogie Whale Sing-Along'' (1997) (director, writer, animator) *''

'' (1995) (animation director) *'' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' (1993) (director) *'' The Magic Voyage'' (1992) (animation director, key animator, storyboard artist) *'' An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'' (1991) (director) *'' Oliver & Company'' (1988) (storyboard artist - uncredited) *''

'' (1988) (directing animator, supervising animator) *''

The Great Mouse Detective ''The Great Mouse Detective'' (also known as ''The Adventures of the Great Mouse Detective'' for its 1992 theatrical re-release and ''Basil the Great Mouse Detective'' in some countries) is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produc ...

'' (1986) (character animator) *'' The Black Cauldron'' (1985) (voice of Henchmen, character designer, character animator) *''

The Fox and the Hound ''The Fox and the Hound'' is a 1981 American animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. The 24th Disney animated feature film, the film tells the st ...

'' (1981) (character animator) *'' Banjo the Woodpile Cat'' (1979) (animator: dog chase sequence) (uncredited)

External links

* *
Rotten Tomatoes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nibbelink, Phil American animators Background artists American film directors American animated film directors American male screenwriters Living people 1955 births