Chris Buck

Christopher James Buck, born on February 24, 1958, is a reputable American film director, animator, and screenwriter. He is recognized universally for co-directing eminent films like Tarzan (1999), Surf's Up (2007), which garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2007, Frozen (2013), the Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature in 2014, Frozen II (2019), and Wish (2023). Additionally, he functioned as a supervising animator and story artist on Pocahontas (1995) and Home on the Range (2004). In his career, he has seized one Academy Award, Annie Award, and BAFTA Award, alongside multiple nominations for these prestigious titles. Raised in Wichita, Kansas, Buck was spellbound by animation through the first film he ever experienced at a theatre - Pinocchio (1940). Beyond his role as a co-director on Tarzan, his commendable work includes his inputs in the animated feature Pocahontas, character design for The Little Mermaid (1989), performing experimental animation for The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). His credits also include animated commercials for Los Angeles–based production entities like FilmFair, Kurtz & Friends, and Duck Soup. Buck co-directed Surf's Up at Sony Pictures Animation and later returned to Disney to develop the iconic film, Frozen. His personal life was marked by a tragic event when his oldest son, Ryder, died in a car collision in 2013, which was used as an inspiration for the song The Next Right Thing in Frozen II and a character named Ryder.