Jerry Rees

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title: "Jerry Rees" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1956-births", "20th-century-american-screenwriters", "21st-century-american-screenwriters", "animators-from-texas", "animal-impersonators", "american-animated-film-directors", "american-animated-film-producers", "animation-screenwriters", "american-male-screenwriters", "california-institute-of-the-arts-alumni", "living-people", "people-from-johnson-county,-texas", "walt-disney-animation-studios-people", "film-directors-from-texas", "screenwriters-from-texas", "20th-century-american-male-writers", "21st-century-american-male-writers"] description: "American film director and animator (born 1956)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rees" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American film director and animator (born 1956) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Jerry Rees
birth_name	Jerry W. Rees
birth_date
birth_place	Johnson County, Texas, U.S.
alma_mater	California Institute of the Arts
occupation
years_active	1978–present
website
::

| name = Jerry Rees | birth_name = Jerry W. Rees | birth_date = | birth_place = Johnson County, Texas, U.S. | alma_mater = California Institute of the Arts | occupation = | years_active = 1978–present | website =

Jerry W. Rees (born November 15, 1956) is an American film director and animator, best known for the Emmy-nominated animated feature film The Brave Little Toaster (1987) and creating many of the visual effects for Tron (1982).

Early life

Rees was mentored as an animator from the age of 16 at Disney Studios by Eric Larson, one of Walt Disney's Nine Old Men, and was trained and taught at California Institute of the Arts, along with classmates John Lasseter, Brad Bird, John Musker, Tim Burton and Doug Lefler.

Career

In 1978, Rees worked as an animator for the Christmas children's film The Small One. He also worked on the Disney film The Fox and the Hound (1981), and the following year served as one of the visual effects supervisors for the cutting-edge science fiction film Tron.

In 1987, Rees and science fiction writer Thomas M. Disch collaborated on adapting Disch's short story The Brave Little Toaster into an animated film. The resulting film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and nominated for Outstanding Animated Program at the 1988 Primetime Emmy Awards. He also teamed up with fellow CalArts alum Tim Burton to co-write and co-direct the cult classic featurettes Doctor of Doom and Luau.

Rees directed the Neil Simon-penned The Marrying Man (1991) and served as an animation producer on the film Space Jam (1996).

In 1993, Rees wrote and produced (with Steven Paul Leiva) a new Betty Boop feature film for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Seventy-five percent of the film was storyboarded, but two weeks before voice recording was to begin, MGM switched studio chiefs and the project, tentatively called The Betty Boop Feature Script, was abandoned.

In addition to his film credits, Rees helped produce and direct a record-setting 13 multimedia features at the various Disney theme parks, including the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and Sounds Dangerous! at Disney–MGM Studios, Cranium Command and O Canada! at Epcot, Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter at Magic Kingdom, the ride preshow film of Dinosaur at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney–MGM Studios and Walt Disney Studios Park, CinéMagique at Walt Disney Studios Park, and Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland. Rees also directed the Tourist from Hell, The Editing Story, and Michael & Mickey short films, as well as the Back to Neverland short film starring Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite which were all screened as part of the backstage tour at Disney–MGM Studios.

For some time, Rees was attached as director to a project called Rand Robinson, Robot Repairman, financed by Interscope and Philips. The film was set in a futuristic Los Angeles, and Philips expected to use the film to showcase their emerging technology. Rees storyboarded various scenes in the film, but eventually several key players left the project, and it was shelved.

In 2010, Rees and actress and writer Deanna Oliver made an appearance at California State University, Northridge to discuss the making of their film The Brave Little Toaster.

Currently, Rees is a full-time creative consultant at the San Francisco film studio Wild Brain, where he is developing CGI features. Rees is also attached to direct a Casey Silver Productions CGI feature.

Filmography

Feature films

::data[format=table title=""] | Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animation department | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1977 | Pete's Dragon | | | | Character animator | | 1978 | The Small One | | | | Character animator | | 1980 | Animalympics | | | | Character animator | | 1981 | The Fox and the Hound | | | | Character animator | | 1982 | Tron | | | | Production storyboards / Computer image choreography | | 1985 | The Black Cauldron | | | | Character animator (uncredited) | | 1987 | The Brave Little Toaster | | | | Storyboard artist / Voice role: Radio (singing only) | | 1991 | The Marrying Man | | | | | | 1996 | Space Jam | | | | Animation producer | | 2003 | Little Alvin and the Mini-Munks | | | | Direct-to-video/ Special effects animator/ Voice roles: Sam / Lou | | 2013 | Susie's Hope | | | | Direct-to-video | ::

Short films

::data[format=table title=""]

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Animation	Notes
1978	The Small One				Character animator
1979	Doctor of Doom				Editor / Cinematographer/ Voice role: Bob Garcia
1982	Luau				Producer
1983	Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore				Character animator
1983	Mickey's Christmas Carol				Character animator
1989	Back to Neverland				Part of The Magic of Disney Animation attraction at Disney-MGM Studios.
1989	Tourist from Hell				Part of the Studio Backlot Tour attraction at Disney-MGM Studios.
1989	The Editing Story				Part of the Studio Backlot Tour attraction at Disney-MGM Studios.
1989	Michael & Mickey				Part of the Studio Backlot Tour attraction at Disney-MGM Studios.
1989	Cranium Command				Attraction
1994	Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter				Attraction
1998	Dinosaur				Preshow film. Originally named "Countdown to Extinction"
1999	Sounds Dangerous				Attraction
1999	Rock' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith				Attraction
2001	Disney's California Adventure TV Special
2002	CinéMagique				Attraction
2005	Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years				Documentary
2014	The Marvel Experience				Media director
::

Television

::data[format=table title=""]

Year	Title	Credited as	Notes
1984	Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats	Storyboard artist	65 episodes
1989	Alvin and the Chipmunks	Writer	Episode "Cookie Chomper III"
::

References

References

1. [https://archive.today/20120729000221/http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2007/09/22/entertainment/gnp-toaster22.1.txt Burbank Leader]
2. "Jerry Rees - Executive R&D Imagineer - Walt Disney Imagineering - LinkedIn".
3. (2021-03-17). "Jerry Rees Joins 'CalArts Animation: The Early Years' Virtual Lecture Series".
4. Canby, Vincent. (April 5, 1991). "The Marrying Man (1991) Review/Film; Marriage as Eternal Punishment". [[The New York Times]].
5. "Bob Camp Cartoonist: Rand Robinson storyboards".
6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MZzjeAejsg.txt 2010 interview with Jerry Rees and Deanna Oliver - Cal State, Northridge]

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