Rich Moore is an American film and television

animation director An animation director is either the director in charge of all aspects of the animation process during the production of an animated film or television, and animated segment for a live action film or television show, or the animator in charge of co ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talen ...

. He has directed the films ''

Wreck-It Ralph ''Wreck-It Ralph'' is a 2012 American Computer-animated film, computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films, 52nd Disney animated f ...

'' (2012) and co-directed ''

Zootopia ''Zootopia'' (titled ''Zootropolis'' in various regions) is a 2016 American computer-animated buddy cop action comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 55th Disney animated feature fi ...

'' (2016) and ''

Ralph Breaks the Internet ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' is a 2018 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The 57th animated film produced by the studio and the sequel t ...

'' (2018) for

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

. In addition, he has also worked on the animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'', ''

The Critic ''The Critic'' was an American primetime adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as writers a ...

'' and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years ...

''. He is a two-time

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winner, a three-time

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally de ...

winner and an

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 ...

winner.

Early life

Moore is a native of

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...

. He studied film and video at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachel ...

degree in 1987. While there, he narrated

Jim Reardon Jim Reardon is an American animator, storyboard artist, television writer, television director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the animated TV series ''The Simpsons''. He has directed over 30 episodes of the series and was cr ...

's 1986 student film '' Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown''. Included in his CalArts class were famous filmmakers such as

Andrew Stanton Andrew Ayers Stanton (born December 3, 1965) is an American filmmaker and voice actor based at Pixar, which he joined in 1990. His film work includes co-writing and co-directing Pixar's ''A Bug's Life'' (1998), directing '' Finding Nemo'' (2003) ...

Brenda Chapman Brenda Chapman (born November 1, 1962) is an American animator, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and director. In 1998, she became the first woman to direct an animated feature from a major studio, DreamWorks Animation's ''The Prince of Egypt' ...

, and

Career

Television

After graduating from CalArts, Moore worked for

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's '' Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures'', co-writing all 13 season 1 episodes in 1987. Moore was one of the original three directors of ''

'', directing 17 episodes in the first 5 seasons from 1990 to 1993, including the episodes: "

Flaming Moe's "Flaming Moe's" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 21, 1991. In the episode, Homer tells Moe Szyslak about t ...

", " Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie", and " Marge vs. the Monorail". He won a 1991

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series. In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which ...

for ''The Simpsons: Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment'', and later return as one of the sequence directors on ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...

'' in 2007. In 1994, Moore became a producer and supervising director for the animated series ''

''. He then oversaw the creative development and production of ''

'' as the show's supervising director. He also directed several episodes of the animated series from 1999 to 2001, including the classic "

Roswell That Ends Well "Roswell That Ends Well" is the 19th episode in the third season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 9, 2001. The plot centers on an accidental time tra ...

", for which he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. Moore's other television animation directing credits include Comedy Central's ''

Drawn Together ''Drawn Together'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. The series is a parody of '' The Surreal Life'' and follows the misadventures of the housemat ...

'' and "

Spy vs. Spy ''Spy vs. Spy'' is a wordless comic strip published in '' Mad'' magazine. It features two agents involved in stereotypical and comical espionage activities. One is dressed in white, and the other in black, but they are otherwise identical, and ...

" for ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series originally inspired by ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' magazine. In its initial run, it aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from 1995 to 2009. After a one-off reuni ...

''. He served as supervising director on the 2009 animated Fox television series '' Sit Down, Shut Up''.

Film

In 2004, Moore directed the Warner Bros. animated short film ''Duck Dodgers in Attack of the Drones''. In 2008, he was invited by

John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter (; born January 12, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, voice actor, and the head of animation at Skydance Animation. He was previously the chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios ...

to join

as a director, with the suggestion that he develop a story set in the world of video games. This would become the 2012 animated feature ''

'', Moore's feature directing debut, and a box office and critical success. Moore also supplied the voices for the film's characters Sour Bill and

Zangief , based on Russian Зангиев, often called the , is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' series. Considered to be the first controllable fighting game character whose moveset is centered on grappling, he made his first appeara ...

. ''Wreck-It Ralph'' won five

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally des ...

, including Best Animated Feature and a Best Director award for Moore,Carolyn Giardina
"'Wreck-It Ralph' Wins Five Annie Awards Including Best Animated Feature,"
''The Hollywood Reporter'', February 2, 2013. and was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for animated films. An animated feature is defined by the Academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by- ...

.Brian Truitt
"Disney inspiration is huge for 'Ralph' director,"
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', February 22, 2013. Moore's next animated feature film was Disney's ''

'', which he directed alongside

Byron Howard Byron P. Howard (born December 26, 1968) is an American animator, character designer, story artist, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as the director of the Walt Disney Animation Studios films '' Bolt'' (2008), ' ...

and co-director

Jared Bush Jared Bush (born June 12, 1974) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is best known for co-directing and co-writing the Walt Disney Animation Studios film ''Zootopia'' (2016), writing the film '' Moana'' (2016) and directing and ...

. The film, released on March 4, 2016, became the second highest-grossing animated feature film of 2016 with a worldwide box office gross of over $1.023 billion. The film also won the

. After ''Zootopia'', Moore returned to direct ''

'', the sequel to ''Wreck-It Ralph'', with fellow filmmaker Phil Johnston. The film was a financial success, outgrossing the original film with over $529.3 million worldwide. It was also nominated for multiple awards in the Best Animated Feature category, including the

Academy Awards 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 ...

, and

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

. On April 8, 2019, Moore revealed that he had left Disney to join

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio's films are distributed worldwide by So ...

, where he would direct and produce original animated films for the studio, with the first being '' Vivo''. On March 16, 2022, Moore revealed that he has entered into an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with Skydance Animation.

Filmography

Films

Shorts

Other credits

Awards

;

Feature Film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s ;

s * 1991 – Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour) for ''

'' (" Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment") * 2002 – Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour) for ''

'' ("

") ;

s * 2002 – Directing in an Animated Television Production for ''Futurama'' ("Roswell That Ends Well") * 2012 – Directing in an Animated Feature Production for ''

'' * 2016 – Directing in an Animated Feature Production for ''

'' (Shared with

) ;

s * 2012 – Nominated:

for ''Wreck-It Ralph'' * 2016 –

for ''

'' * 2018 – Nominated:

for ''

Television directing credits

''The Simpsons''

The Telltale Head "The Telltale Head" is the eighth episode of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 25, 1990. It was written by Al Jean, Mike Reiss, Sam Simon and Matt ...

" (season 1, episode 8, original air date: February 25, 1990) *"

Homer's Night Out "Homer's Night Out" is the tenth episode of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 25, 1990. It was written by Jon Vitti and directed by Rich Moore.

" (season 1, episode 10, March 25, 1990) *"

Simpson and Delilah "Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 18, 1990. In the episode, Homer uses the Springfie ...

" (season 2, episode 2, October 18, 1990) *"

Treehouse of Horror ''Treehouse of Horror'' is an annual series of special Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', with 33 anthology episodes between 1990 and 2022. Also known as ''The Simpsons Halloween Specials'', each episode typica ...

" (season 2, episode 3, October 25, 1990) *"

Dead Putting Society "Dead Putting Society" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 15, 1990. In the episode, Homer and Ned quarr ...

" (season 2, episode 6, November 15, 1990) *" Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" (season 2, episode 13, February 7, 1991) *"

Lisa's Substitute "Lisa's Substitute" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 25, 1991. In the episode, Lisa's teacher Miss H ...

" (season 2, episode 19, April 25, 1991) *" Stark Raving Dad" (season 3, episode 1, September 19, 1991) *"

Bart the Murderer "Bart the Murderer" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 10, 1991. In the episode, Bart stumbles upon a Mafia ...

" (season 3, episode 4, October 10, 1991) *"

" (season 3, episode 10, November 21, 1991) *" Lisa the Greek" (season 3, episode 14, January 23, 1992) *" Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" (season 3, episode 24, August 27, 1992) *"

A Streetcar Named Marge "A Streetcar Named Marge" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 1, 1992. In the episode, Marge wins the role of ...

" (season 4, episode 2, October 1, 1992) *" Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" (season 4, episode 6, November 3, 1992) *" Marge vs. the Monorail" (season 4, episode 12, January 14, 1993) *"

The Front ''The Front'' is a 1976 drama film set against the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s, when artists, writers, directors, and others were rendered unemployable, having been accused of subversive political activities in support of Communism or of b ...

" (season 4, episode 19, April 15, 1993) *"

Cape Feare "Cape Feare" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. The episode features guest star Kelsey Grammer ...

" (season 5, episode 2, October 7, 1993)

''The Critic''

*" Pilot" (season 1, episode 1, January 26, 1994) *"Lady Hawke" (season 2, episode 3, March 19, 1995) *"I Can't Believe It's a Clip Show" (season 2, episode 10, May 21, 1995)

''Futurama''

*" Space Pilot 3000" (co-directed with Gregg Vanzo) (season 1, episode 1, March 28, 1999) *" Hell Is Other Robots" (season 1, episode 9, May 18, 1999) *" A Clone of My Own" (season 2, episode 15, April 9, 2000) *"

Anthology of Interest I "Anthology of Interest I" is episode sixteen in season two of ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. This episode, as well as the later " Anthology of Interest II", serves to showcase three "ima ...

" (co-directed with

Chris Louden Chris Louden is an American animator. He is credited with directing several episodes of '' Futurama''. Directing credits ''Futurama'' episodes *" Put Your Head on My Shoulders" *"Anthology of Interest I" (co-directed with Rich Moore) *"The Luc ...

) (season 2, episode 20, May 21, 2000) *"

" (season 4, episode 1, December 9, 2001)

''Baby Blues''

* "Bizzy Moves In" (season 1, episode 2, July 28, 2000)

''Drawn Together''

Clum Babies This is a comprehensive list of episodes for the animated television comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up ...

" (season 2, episode 5, November 16, 2005) *" Alzheimer's That Ends Well" (season 2, episode 14, March 8, 2006)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Rich Living people People from Oxnard, California American animated film directors American television directors Primetime Emmy Award winners Walt Disney Animation Studios people Sony Pictures Animation people Annie Award winners California Institute of the Arts alumni American male voice actors Animation screenwriters Directors of Best Animated Feature Academy Award winners Film directors from California Male actors from California Screenwriters from California Year of birth missing (living people)