KIRK WISE

Creating childhoods since 1985.

Born in San Francisco during the flower-power era of the 1960s, Kirk Wise, was raised by hippie parents who instilled in him a lasting love for art, music, and storytelling. Interestingly, his first childhood ambition was to become a garbage man—a dream that shifted when a drawing of a garbage truck he created was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. By the age of ten, he was already drawing, shooting, and editing his own animated films.

He studied character animation at CalArts, where he also held an after-school job drawing caricatures at Six Flags Magic Mountain. This experience marked the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with The Walt Disney Company. Collaborating with what he fondly calls ""the best team of artists in the known universe,"" he had the honor of directing Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), and Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).

With a spirit of joy, playfulness, and a storytelling sensibility shaped by over four decades in the industry, he remains dedicated to crafting stories—across traditional animation, CG animation, and live-action—that thrill, charm, and inspire audiences worldwide. His work continues to celebrate courage, compassion, and the enduring power of innocence.

short Disney History Connections: Colonial America.

Most recently, he completed the CGI animated feature Bobbleheads: The Movie for Universal, which premiered on Netflix and DVD in December 2020.