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Joe Ranft

Joe Ranft

Writer, actor and director, also producer · Died August 16, 2005, aged 45 · Pasadena, California, USA

Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee

Joseph Henry Ranft (March 13, 1960 – August 16, 2005) was an American screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist and voice actor, who worked for Pixar Animation Studios and Disney at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Television Animation. His younger brother Jerome Ranft is a sculptor who also worked on several Pixar films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joe Ranft, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 13, 1960
Died
August 16, 2005 (aged 45)
From
Pasadena, California, USA
Works as
Writer, actor and director, also producer
Titles
29 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 12% in 30 days

What are Joe Ranft's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
55%
Self
18%
Morality
13%
Society
11%
Survival
4%
Friendship8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 3 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 10 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
12
Warm
7
Hopeful
5
Tense
5
Thrilling
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy15
  • Bittersweet1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Joe Ranft's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (22).

Subscription and free streaming for Joe Ranft's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

38 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Cars on the Road(2022)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Cars 2(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Mater and the Ghostlight(2006)

    Original Story · Title Designer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Cars(2006)

    Co-Director · In Memory Of · Original Story · Screenplay · Script Supervisor · as Red / Peterbilt (voice)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Corpse Bride(2005)

    Executive Producer · In Memory Of

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Incredibles(2004)

    as Additional Voices (voice)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Elf(2003)

    as Store Owner (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Finding Nemo(2003)

    as Jacques (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Monsters, Inc.(2001)

    Additional Writing · as Additional Voices (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Monkeybone(2001)

    as Streetsquash Rabbit (voice)

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Emperor's New Groove(2000)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins(2000)

    Writer · as Wheezy (voice)

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Toy Story 2(1999)

    Story Supervisor · as Wheezy (voice)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • A Bug's Life(1998)

    Original Story · as Heimlich / Additional Voices (voice)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A Night at the Roxbury(1998)

    as Hottie Dancer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars(1998)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Geri's Game(1997)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue(1997)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • James and the Giant Peach(1996)

    Story Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Toy Story(1995)

    Original Story · Story Supervisor · as Lenny the Binoculars (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Lion King(1994)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993)

    as Igor (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Beauty and the Beast(1991)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Drop Dead Fred(1991)

    Title Designer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Rescuers Down Under(1990)

    Screenplay · Story Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Next Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Thanks

  • Palm Springs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Thanks

  • The Little Mermaid(1989)

    Storyboard

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Oliver & Company(1988)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Winter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Thanks

  • Die Reis Na Blinkliggiestad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Screenplay

  • The Brave Little Toaster(1987)

    Screenplay · Screenstory · Storyboard Artist · Supervising Animator · as Elmo St. Peters (voice)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Sport Goofy in Soccermania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Story

  • A Garfield Christmas Special(1987)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Swabbies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Writer

  • Hansel and Gretel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Puppeteer

  • Fun with Mr. Future (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Story

  • Good Humor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Animation · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1979 to 2006.

Biggest box office

The Lion King (1994)

$979M worldwide

Highest rated

Toy Story (1995)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Corpse Bride (2005)

Film career

MilestoneNomination

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting14 of 34: 8 only acting, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndDirecting2 of 34: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting18 of 34: 11 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thProducing1 of 34: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew12 of 34: 6 only other crew, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score93rd

34 titles, 9 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s10 · 2 acting · 9 crew1990s13 · 5 acting · 11 crew2000s10 · 7 acting · 5 crew

Billing

usually 11th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1988–1996.

  1. 1996
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
  2. 1988
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Animated Program

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Joe Ranft's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 90th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 29 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up17
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 29 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1998)

54th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer

Toy Story (1995)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Joe Ranft's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles29–49 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles12–19 · median 16 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles7–22 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs11 titles5–34 · median 15 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles35–57 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Joe Ranft work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joe Ranft's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Lasseter shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles