American film producer
James Morris
is an American film producer, production executive and visual effects producer. He is currently general manager and president of
Pixar
. Previously, he held key positions at
Industrial Light & Magic
(ILM) for 17 years.
[1]
Education and early career
[
edit
]
Morris graduated from the
Tower Hill School
in Wilmington, Delaware in 1973.
[2]
In 1977, Morris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in film, and in 1978 a Master of Science degree in television/radio, from the
S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
at
Syracuse University
.
[1]
[3]
Morris began his career with local television studios, followed by working on TV commercials.
[4]
He started as a cameraman and editor at
NBC
affiliate
WSYR-TV
. During this time, he independently produced and directed the award-winning documentary
The Stag Hotel
. He then worked at
PBS
affiliate
WCNY-TV
, where he wrote and produced the educational series
Behind the Wheel
as well as the Jim Lehrer-hosted documentary
Old Folks at Home
and
Journey to the Mountain
. During this same period, Morris wrote, directed and produced the independent documentary
Snapshot.
In 1980, Morris moved to San Francisco and worked as an editor at
KTVU-TV
in
Oakland
, after which he moved on to the production departments at advertising agencies
J. Walter Thompson
, and
Foote, Cone & Belding
. Morris was named executive producer heading the commercial production department at the innovative post-production facility One Pass, and then became the executive producer at Arnold & Associates, producing national commercials for clients such as
Atari
and
Chevron
.
[1]
[3]
While at Arnold & Associates, Morris received an NEA Grant to write, direct and produce the independent documentary
Rehearsal
.
Industrial Light & Magic
[
edit
]
In 1987, Morris joined ILM as a producer of visual effects for films and commercials, working on, amongst others,
Steven Spielberg
's
Always
and
James Cameron
's
The Abyss
, which earned an
Oscar
for
Best Visual Effects
.
[3]
[4]
He was subsequently promoted to be ILM's executive in charge of production, supervising all the company's production, and then ILM's general manager, supervising more than 1,400 artists and technicians and guiding the largest visual effects facility in the industry, a post he held for 13 years.
[1]
[3]
During this period, ILM's innovations resulting in Academy Awards included the pioneering use of
computer-generated
characters in
Jurassic Park
, realistic digital skin in
Death Becomes Her
,
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
and
Forrest Gump
.
[1]
[3]
[4]
Other ILM projects he managed from the period include
Mission: Impossible
,
Twister
,
Saving Private Ryan
,
Star Wars
Episodes
I
and
II
,
The Perfect Storm
,
Pearl Harbor
,
Minority Report
,
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
,
Master and Commander
, and three
Harry Potter
films.
[1]
[3]
ILM worked on over 160 films during this period.
[5]
Morris was president of Lucas Digital Ltd. for 11 years, and managed its two divisions, ILM and
Skywalker Sound
. Additionally, Morris oversaw Lucasfilm Animation from 2000 to 2005.
[5]
Pixar
[
edit
]
Morris joined Pixar Animation Studios in 2005.
[6]
He was producer of Pixar's critically acclaimed 2008 film,
WALL-E
, and was responsible for managing the production of the studio's features, shorts, DVD content, and theme park activities.
[6]
In 2008 he was named as general manager for Pixar Animation Studios.
[6]
Morris was producer of
Disney's
2012 film
John Carter
.
On November 18, 2014 he was named as president of Pixar Animation Studios, succeeding
Edwin Catmull
.
[7]
In August 2019, former
Walt Disney Animation Studios
head Andrew Millstein was named as co-president of
Blue Sky Studios
, while Morris would also be taking a supervising role over Millstein.
[8]
Industry roles and awards
[
edit
]
Morris served for many years as president of the San Francisco Film Commission.
[1]
He was a 2009 recipient of the
Producers Guild of America
Digital 25 Award.
[9]
Morris was the founding chair of the Visual Effect Society, and served in that role for two terms. He received the
Visual Effects Society
's board of directors Award in 2006, a Lifetime Membership in 2007, and their Founders Award in 2010 and was made a VES Fellow in 2016.
[10]
For
WALL-E
, Morris was awarded Producers Guild of America's 2009 Producer of the Year for Animated Motion Pictures,
[11]
the 2008
BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
, a
2008 American Film Institute Award
for one of the 10 best films of the year, the 2008
Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
and a Visual Effects Society Award.
[1]
Morris is an active member in the VES, BAFTA, the Producers Guild and AMPAS, where he serves as a member of the Finance Committee. In 2021, Morris received the
George Arents Award
, Syracuse University's highest alumni honor.
[12]
Filmography
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
"Jim Morris"
Archived
December 3, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Visual Effects Society
. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
- ^
"Pixar President Jim Morris '73 Visits Tower Hill"
.
Tower Hill School
. November 2, 2018
. Retrieved
August 11,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Jim Morris ’77, G’78"
Archived
January 30, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Syracuse University San Francisco Giving
. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^
a
b
c
Ryan Wilsey,
"SIGGRAPH keynote review: Jim Morris, Pixar's General Manager"
,
Icrontic
, August 10, 2010. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- ^
a
b
"Disney-Pixar Executive Jim Morris Chosen as a SIGGRAPH 2010 Keynote"
,
SIGGRAPH
, May 25, 2010. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
- ^
a
b
c
"Jim Morris Named General Manager for Pixar Animation Studios; Andrew Millstein Named General Manager for Disney Animation Studios"
,
PR Newswire
, September 10, 2008. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
- ^
Graser, Marc (November 18, 2014).
"Walt Disney Animation, Pixar Promote Andrew Millstein, Jim Morris to President"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
April 26,
2017
.
- ^
Lang, Brent (August 9, 2019).
"Disney Taps Andrew Millstein, Clark Spencer for Top Animation Posts"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
August 9,
2019
.
- ^
"Digital 25: Leaders In Emerging Entertainment"
,
Producers Guild of America
. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
- ^
"VES Honors"
Archived
October 1, 2013, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Visual Effects Society
. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
- ^
"PGA Award Winners 1990?2010"
Archived
September 27, 2011, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Producers Guild of America
. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
- ^
Herbert, Geoff (October 18, 2021).
"Pixar president, astronaut Eileen Collins, more to receive Syracuse University awards"
.
The Post-Standard
. Retrieved
November 13,
2021
.
External links
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