Nik Ranieri
Ranieri in 2015
Born (1961-08-23) August 23, 1961
Toronto, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materSheridan College
OccupationAnimator
EmployerWalt Disney Animation Studios (1987–2013)
Awards

Nik Ranieri (born August 23, 1961) is a character animator who is primarily known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He has been supervising animator of many characters and remained so until his layoff in 2013.

Career

After graduating from the Classical Animation Program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Ranieri went to work for Atkinson Film-Arts animation production studio (in Ottawa, Ontario).[1]

He began animating for Disney in 1987 on the London, England-based animation crew of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, working with director Richard Williams. Soon after that he moved to Disney's feature animation studio in Glendale, California, where he animated on The Little Mermaid (working primarily on the character of Ursula the sea witch, under directing animator Ruben Aquino). On his next film, Ranieri was promoted to supervising animator on the character of Wilbur in The Rescuers Down Under.

In 1995, he won an Annie Award in the category 'Individual Achievement in Character Animation' for his animation of the raccoon Meeko in Pocahontas.[2]

In 1997, he won an Annie Award in the category 'Individual Achievement in Character Animation' for his animation of Hades in Hercules.[3]

While Ranieri is regarded as one of the modern-day masters of hand-drawn character animation (especially excelling in subtle dialogue scenes and facial expressions) he also successfully made the switch to animating in CG on films such as Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons and Bolt. Ranieri returned to his roots in classic hand-drawn animation for the 2009 Disney animated film The Princess and the Frog.

On April 6, 2013, The Walt Disney Company announced that Ranieri, along with eight other animators working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, had been laid off in an effort for the company as a whole to cut costs.[4]

He later worked at Studio Roqovan, where he worked on the video game World War Toons, up until the studio closed in 2019. Ranieri won the Outstanding Individual Achievement In Animation award in 2021 at the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards as Lead Character Layout for The Simpsons episode Wad Goals.[5]

Filmography

Year Title Credits Characters
1980The All-Night Show (TV Series)Animator
1985The Body Electric (TV Movie)Animator
The Raccoons (TV Series)Animator - 7 Episodes
1988Who Framed Roger RabbitAnimatorRoger Rabbit
1989Cranium Command (Short)Animator
The Little MermaidCharacter AnimatorUrsula
1990The Rescuers Down UnderSupervising AnimatorWilbur
1991Beauty and the BeastSupervising AnimatorLumiere
1992AladdinAnimatorJafar
1994Chariots of Fur (Short)Animator
1995PocahontasSupervising Animator / Additional Story Development ArtistMeeko
1997HerculesSupervising AnimatorHades
2000Fantasia 2000Character Designer - Segment "Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102"
The Emperor's New GrooveSupervising AnimatorKuzco/Kuzco Llama
2002Treasure PlanetAnimatorDoctor Delbert Doppler
2005Chicken LittleSupervising AnimatorBuck "Ace" Cluck
2007Meet the RobinsonsSupervising AnimatorLewis
2008BoltAnimator
2009The Princess and the FrogSupervising AnimatorCharlotte "Lottie" La Bouff
2010TangledAnimatorMother Gothel
2011Winnie the PoohAdditional Animator
2012Wreck-It RalphAnimator
2014The ProphetHand-Drawn Animation Supervisor
2016World War Toons (Video Game)Animation Director
2023Once Upon a Studio (Short)Animator

Awards

References

  1. ↑ LaughingPlace.com: Great Animated Performances: Meeko as Supervised by Nik Ranieri - July 25, 2003
  2. ↑ "49th Annual Annie Awards".
  3. ↑ Annie Awards: Legacy - 25th Annual Annie Awards
  4. ↑ The Disney Blog: Walt Disney Animation Studios Lets Most of Hand Drawn Team Go
  5. 1 2 "Nik Ranieri". Television Academy. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  6. ↑ http://www.reuben.org/ncs/archive/divisions/feature.asp
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