Matt Damon — Narrator of Spirit
Matt Damon has been honored for his work both as an actor and screenwriter. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Screenplay (Shared with Ben Affleck) for the acclaimed drama Good Will Hunting. He also received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor for his performance in the title role. Damon later earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for his work in the title role of Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Damon starred in the spy thriller The Bourne Identity, based on the Robert Ludlum bestseller which opened in June, 2002. Other film credits include Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven in which he joined an all-star ensemble cast including George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt; Billy Bob Thornton’s All the Pretty Horses, opposite Penelope Cruz; and Robert Redford’s The Legend of Bagger Vance, with Will Smith and Charlize Theron. Damon first came to the attention of critics and audiences with his portrayal of a guilt-ridden Gulf War veteran in Courage Under Fire. He then starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Rainmaker, and appeared in the title role of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar®-winning World War II drama Saving Private Ryan. His film credits also include John Dahl’s Rounders, the Kevin Smith films Chasing Amy and Dogma, School Ties and Mystic Pizza, in which he made his feature film debut. He recently appeared on stage in London’s West End in This is Our Youth, a play by Kenneth Lonergan in which Damon co-starred with Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix. He also co-stars with Casey Affleck in the Fall 2002 theatrical release of Gerry, directed by Gus Van Sant.
James Cromwell — Colonel
James Cromwell, one of the industry’s busiest actors, earned an Oscar® nomination for his performance as Farmer Hoggett in the sleeper hit Babe. He also shared in the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for the casts of The Green Mile and L.A. Confidential. In addition, Cromwell has recently received two Emmy Award nominations, one for his portrayal of William Randolph Hearst in RKO 281, and another for his guest role as a terminally ill Catholic Bishop in ER. Cromwell also stars as the President of the United States in The Sum of All Fears, based on the Tom Clancy novel. Among his many other film credits are Space Cowboys, Snow Falling on Cedars, The General’s Daughter, Babe: Pig in the City, Deep Impact, Star Trek: First Contact, The Education of Little Tree, The People vs. Larry Flynt and Revenge of the Nerds. He has also starred in such long-form projects as CBS’s live airing of Fail Safe, A Death in the Family, A Slight Case of Murder, Indictment: The McMartin Trial, In a Child’s Name, The Wall, A Christmas Without Snow, Deadly Game and Once an Eagle. In addition, Cromwell has starred in several series, most recently playing the title role in Citizen Baines. Apart from his acting work, Cromwell is involved in an organization called “Hecel Oyakapi” (The People Tell It This Way) dedicated to assisting the Lakota people in preserving their language and culture through the arts. As a result of his role in Babe, he is also actively involved in PETA and a number of other animal causes.
Daniel Studi — Little Creek
Daniel Studi grew up in Oklahoma in the ways of the Cherokee Indians. He was raised to learn and respect the traditions of all the different Native American tribes, so his input into his character in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was invaluable. The son of famed Native American actor Wes Studi, Daniel previously appeared with his father in the television movie Crazy Horse. Studi has also worked on the regional stage, appearing in presentations of Black Elk Speaks and Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale.
Kelly Asbury — Director
Kelly Asbury, a 19-year veteran in animation, made his directorial debut with Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. He served as a story supervisor on DreamWorks’ first traditionally animated feature The Prince of Egypt, along with Lorna Cook. Asbury was also a story artist on the animated hits Shrek and Chicken Run. Asbury began his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, where he remained for the next 12 years. While at Disney, he worked as a storyboard artist on such films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story and James and the Giant Peach. He served as an art director on the Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit and as an assistant art director on Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. In addition to film work, Asbury wrote and illustrated a number of published children’s books, including the Halloween-themed titles “Witch Dot”, “Frankensquare” and “Candy Corn”, which hit stores in Fall 2001. He also wrote and illustrated the children’s books “Where Is Snowy’s Nose?”, “Rusty’s Red Vacation”, “Bonnie’s Blue House” and “Yolanda’s Yellow School” and provided the artwork for the books “Turkey Time” and “Thanksgiving Parade”. Due out in Fall 2002, his newest book, “Dummy Days: America’s Favorite Ventriloquists From Radio and Early TV”, is a vintage photo-filled volume targeted for adults, which features commentary from film critic and entertainment historian Leonard Maltin.
Lorna Cook — Director
Lorna Cook has worked in the animation arena for more than 25 years. She teamed with Kelly Asbury when they worked as story supervisors for DreamWorks Pictures’ traditionally animated epic The Prince of Egypt. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron marks her directorial debut. Prior to joining DreamWorks, Cook worked as a story artist on a number of animated hits, including Mulan and The Lion King. She also served as an animator on the lead character Belle in Beauty and the Beast and on The Secret of NIMH. Cook’s additional animation credits include stints as a directing animator on such films as All Dogs Go to Heaven, The Land Before Time and An American Tail. She began her career as an assistant animator on the character of Elliot the Dragon in the musical feature Pete’s Dragon (uncredited), in which the animated Elliot interacted with a live-action cast.
Mireille Soria — Producer
Mireille Soria counts Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron as her first producing credit for an animated feature, though she has an extensive background in live-action film and television. Prior to taking the producing reins for Spirit, she had a producing deal at Fox Family Pictures, where she produced the romantic Cinderella story Ever After, starring Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. Soria also executive produced the Disney Channel horror comedy Under Wraps. She had previously held the post of vice president of production for Walt Disney Pictures from 1990 to 1995. During her tenure, she oversaw the development and production of such projects as The Mighty Ducks and its two sequels, Cool Runnings and 1994’s live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Soria had come to Disney from the Steve Tisch Company, where she was a vice president, and also produced several projects. Her producing credits there included the pilot and 13 episodes of the series Dirty Dancing, the telefilms Victim of Love and Out on the Edge and the OBS Afterschool Special Lies of the Heart. She also developed a number of feature film and cable and network television projects. Soria began her career in 1982 as manager of dramatic series development at ABC. Two years later, she joined Columbia Pictures Television as director of current programs. In 1985, she returned to ABC as director of dramatic series development and was responsible for developing the groundbreaking series thirtysomething. Soria is producing DreamWorks’ next traditionally animated feature Sinbad.
Jeffrey Katzenberg — Producer
Jeffrey Katzenberg is a principal partner in DreamWorks SKG, a multifaceted entertainment company co-founded by him, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen in October 1994. Katzenberg produced DreamWorks’ computer animated blockbuster Shrek, which won the first-ever Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. Shrek was also one of the top-grossing films of 2001 and is the second highest grossing animated feature of all time. The film’s many honors also include Best Animated Film awards from a number of critics’ organizations, including the Broadcast Film Critics and the Los Angeles Film Critics, as well as Golden Globe and Producers Guild award nominations. Katzenberg also served as an executive producer on DreamWorks’ clay-animated hit Chicken Run, which was named the best-reviewed movie of 2000, in addition to winning awards for Best Animated Feature from several critics’ groups. He was also an executive producer on the animated epic The Prince of Egypt, which won an Oscar® for Best Original Song (“When You Believe”) and on The Road to El Dorado.
John Fusco — Screenwriter
John Fusco is no stranger to writing about the American West, having scripted the hit Westerns Young Guns and Young Guns II. Fusco also served as an executive producer on both films, which starred Emilio Estevez as Billy the Kid. Additionally, Fusco wrote and produced the biopic The Babe, starring John Goodman as the legendary Babe Ruth; wrote the Native American political thriller Thunderheart, starring Val Kilmer and Sam Shepard; and wrote Loch Ness, starring Ted Danson as a scientist trying to prove the existence of the fabled monster. In 1983, Fusco’s first screenplay, written at New York University, brought him the national FOCUS Award for Best Screenplay. The following year he again won the FOCUS Award for Best Screenplay for his second student script, a blues movie titled Crossroads. Subsequently brought to the screen by director Walter Hill, Crossroads received widespread critical acclaim. The film also featured a popular soundtrack by Ry Cooder, showcasing one of Fusco’s personal heroes, Sonny Terry, on harmonica. Fusco has three projects in production: an all-Native American miniseries, Dreamkeeper; the feature film Hidalgo, about endurance horse racing; and Rebels, a Revolutionary War epic.
Hans Zimmer — Music
Hans Zimmer won the 2001 Golden Globe Award, in addition to receiving his seventh Oscar® nomination, for the award-winning hit Gladiator. In 1994, he won both the Academy Award® and a Golden Globe Award for his score for the blockbuster The Lion King, which also spawned one of the most successful soundtrack recordings ever. Zimmer has also garnered Oscar® nominations for The Prince of Egypt, The Thin Red Line, As Good As It Gets, Rain Man and The Preacher’s Wife. This year, he received a Golden Globe nomination for his score for Pearl Harbor. Zimmer’s music for The Lion King has been continuing to draw applause in the award-winning stage production of the musical. The show earned the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical, as well as a Grammy Award for the Best Original Cast Album. The composer also reunited with The Lion King songwriters Elton John and Tim Rice for DreamWorks’ animated musical The Road to El Dorado. Zimmer has composed the music for more than 70 feature films, most recently collaborating again with Gladiator director Ridley Scott on Black Hawk Down and Hannibal. Zimmer’s diverse list of credits also includes Crimson Tide, for which he won a Grammy, Thelma & Louise, Driving Miss Daisy, Mission: Impossible II, The Peacemaker, The Rock, Broken Arrow, Nine Months, Beyond Rangoon, Cool Runnings, A League of Their Own, Black Rain, Backdraft, Green Card, True Romance, Days of Thunder and My Beautiful Laundrette. In addition to his composing work, Zimmer heads DreamWorks’ film music division. His appointment marks the first time that a composer has headed the music department of a major studio since the days of Dimitri Tiomkin at MGM and Alfred Newman at Twentieth Century Fox.
Bryan Adams — Songs
Bryan Adams has enjoyed success in a music career spanning more than 25 years and encompassing chart-topping records, sold-out concerts and Oscar®-nominated songs. He has earned three Academy Award® nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for Best Song, the first in 1992 for “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. In 1996, he received his second Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations for “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”, from Don Juan DeMarco and the following year, he garnered nominations for “I Finally Found Someone”, his duet with Barbra Streisand from The Mirror Has Two Faces. In addition, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” brought Adams a Grammy Award and an MTV Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, and also holds the record for the longest running No. 1 single in British music history. The single was also one of Adams chart-topping soundtrack hits in the United States, along with “Heaven”, “All for Love” (with Rod Stewart and Sting) and “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”. Adams’ many other honors include four ASCAP Awards, an American Music Award and 17 Canadian Juno Awards. In his native Canada, he was awarded the Officer of the Order of Canada and, in 1990, was named that country’s Artist of the Decade. In all, Adams’ worldwide sales have exceeded 60 million copies and have included such hits as “Summer of ‘69”, “Run to You”, “Straight from the Heart” and “Cuts Like a Knife”. He has also lent his talents to a number of philanthropic endeavors, including The Prince’s Trust, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, the establishment of whale sanctuaries and finding a cure for breast cancer. Apart from his music, Adams put together two books of black and white photographs of notable Canadian and British women, all the proceeds of which went to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Haven Trust (a breast cancer hospice program in the UK). He was also chosen to photograph Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth for her jubilee celebration.
Kathy Altieri — Production Designer
Kathy Altieri joined the DreamWorks animation team in 1994. Her first project for the studio was The Prince of Egypt, on which she served as an art director. Her previous animation credits include work as a background supervisor on Aladdin, the featurette The Prince and the Pauper and the Roger Rabbit short Tummy Trouble. She was also a background painter for such animated successes as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and another Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit. Altieri attended the University of California, Los Angeles as an Art major and also studied at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design for three years.
Nick Fletcher — Editor
Nick Fletcher served as the supervising editor on DreamWorks’ animated musical epic The Prince of Egypt. Before joining DreamWorks in 1995, Fletcher worked at Amblimation in London, where he served as supervising editor for An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. He was also co-supervising editor for We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story and Balto, and was the animation editor for Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Born in Wales, Fletcher began his career at John Wood Sound Studios in London, working on commercials. He then moved on to Richard Williams Animation in 1981.
James Baxter — Supervising Animator: Spirit
James Baxter is one of the most renowned and respected talents in the field of animaton. Prior to taking on the challenging task of animating the title character in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Baxter was the senior supervising animator for the lead character of Tulio in DreamWorks’ The Road to El Dorado. He was also an animator on the central character of Moses in DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt. Baxter had previously served as a supervising animator on such memorable characters as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Rafiki in The Lion King and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His animation work also includes The Rescuers Down Under and The Little Mermaid. Born in England, Baxter attended West Surrey College of Art and Design. He began his career at Walt Disney Studios London as an in-between artist and animator on Roger and Jessica Rabbit for Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Fabio Lignini — Supervising Animator: The Colonel
Fabio Lignini served as a supervising animator for the character of Moses’ brother Aaron in DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt and as an animator on The Road to El Dorado. Currently, he is working on DreamWorks’ upcoming animated feature Sinbad. Prior to joining DreamWorks, Lignini worked at Amblimation Studios in London, where he served as a senior animator on the features Balto, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West. Lignini had earlier worked as a freelance animator and director on several award-winning short films in his native Brazil. He co-directed Alex, which won a Caracol Award for the Best Animated Short at the ninth annual International Festival of Latin American Cinema in Havana, Cuba. Lignini also directed the five-minute short When Bats are Silent, which went on to win five awards, including the Debut Prize at the second Los Angeles International Animation Celebration, as well as the Debut Prize at the second Hiroshima International Animation Festival in Japan. The film also garnered a Best Animated Film Award at Fest Rio in Rio de Janeiro and the Coral Negro Award for the Best Animated Short at the eighth annual Festival of Latin American Cinema.
William Salazar — Supervising Animator: Rain
William Salazar was the supervising animator on the character of Young Moses in The Prince of Egypt. He then served as a lead animator on the main character Tulio in The Road to El Dorado. Salazar is one of the lead animating talents on DreamWorks’ animated feature Sinbad. Hailing from Corsica, France, Salazar graduated from Paris’ animation school CFT-Gobelins in 1980. He went on to work at Amblimation, where he served as an assistant animator on An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, as an animator on We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story and as a supervising animator on the three comedic dogs, Nikki, Kaltag and Star, in Balto.
Pres Romanillos — Supervising Animator: Little Creek
Pres Romanillos worked as an animator on DreamWorks’ The Road to El Dorado. Before coming to DreamWorks, Romanillos had been a supervising animator on Mulan and was also an animator on the features The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas. Romanillos graduated from New York City’s School of Visual Arts in 1988. The following year, he landed a job at Disney in Los Angeles, where he began his animation training. His earliest credits include stints as an assistant animator on such animated hits as The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin.
Dr. Deb Bennett — Horse Consultant
Dr. Deb Bennett is a renowned horse expert, with a Ph.D. in vertebrate paleontology and a strong interest in the anatomy and biomechanics of fossil animals, especially horses. Her research interests also include the history of domestication and bloodlines of individual horse breeds. She is Director of the Equine Studies Institute, a seminar colloquium whose focus is higher education in horsemanship.
Dr. Stuart Sumida — Horse Consultant
Dr. Stuart Sumida is a paleontologist and Professor at California State University San Bernardino. He has worked on more than 20 animated and live-action films as an anatomical consultant. He specializes in vertebrate paleontology and anatomy, focusing on the comparative anatomy and biomechanics of vertebrates. Sumida holds a Ph.D. from UCLA. Before coming to CSU San Bernardino, he taught in the Department of Anatomy and at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
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