JOHN LEE
"With over 30 years of experience in animated feature filmmaking, John Lee is a San Francisco Bay Area based production designer, art director, visual development artist, and illustrator that helped shape some of the most memorable animated films. His career spans leadership and development roles at Pixar Animation, Skydance Animation, and Disney Feature Animation, where they have consistently guided projects from early concept through final screen imagery.
At Skydance Animation, John served as Art Director, leading creative concept development and defining the visual language of animated features through colorscripts, environment design, and cohesive visual storytelling. He oversaw art team workflows, ensured consistency with film guidelines, and facilitated cross-department collaboration to refine artistic direction and deliver projects on schedule.
During his 18-year tenure at Pixar Animation Studios, John played a key role in shaping the studio’s visual storytelling, art directing lighting, color, and environment development while mentoring junior artists. His work also extended to promotional and marketing art, producing sketches, storyboards, and polished visuals that communicated narrative and tone across multiple platforms.
John’s filmography includes Toy Story 4, Incredibles 2, The Incredibles, Finding Dory, Inside Out, Wall-E, John Carter, Cars, Cars 2, Cars 3, as well as Skydance projects such as Ray Gunn, Luck, Spellbound, Wandla, and Swapped.
Known for a strong sense of color, atmosphere, and narrative clarity, John bring a deep understanding of how visual design supports story, emotion, and character—crafting worlds that feel immersive, intentional, and unforgettable."
