Summary
Philip Johnston (born October 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker and voice actor, best known as one of the writers for the Walt Disney Animation Studios films Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016)[1] and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), the latter of which he directed alongside Rich Moore.
Phil Johnston | |
|---|---|
 Johnston in 2018 | |
| Born | October 26, 1971 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | University of Wisconsin-Madison (BA) Columbia University (MFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | Jill Cordes |
Early life and career edit
Johnston was born in Minneapolis to Beverly & William Johnston.[2] He was raised in Neenah, Wisconsin.[3][4] His father was an Episcopal priest.[4] When he was young, he received an annual pass that allowed him free entry into the Marcus Theatres, a Wisconsin-based theater chain, through a connection at his father's church.[4] Johnston is a graduate of Neenah High School.[2]
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1994 with a degree in journalism.[5] After graduation he worked in regional news television for nine years.[3] His first job was as a weatherman in Rochester, Minnesota despite knowing nothing about meteorology.[6][3] He then worked as a bureau reporter at the Omaha, Nebraska, ABC affiliate, KETV.[7] Afterwards, he transferred to KARE station in Minneapolis.[8][4]
Johnston graduated with a MFA in film from Columbia University School of the Arts' Film Program in 2004.[9] He was classmates with Jennifer Lee, whom he later brought on to co-write Wreck-It Ralph with.[10]
His short, Flightless Birds, about a community of five trying to save their town was shot in South Dakota.[11]
After graduation, Johnston sold his first work to ABC.[12] The half hour comedy, Life is Super, is about a woman who adopts several children and subsequently turning her experience into a podcast.[12]
Johnston optioned his first feature script to ThinkFilm before it went bankrupt.[3] Jeremy Orm Is a Pervert is about the intersection of a preacher's career and his son's pornography business.[3] This was loosely based on his side hustle back in middle school selling pornographic magazines he acquired from upperclassmen to his classmates.[6] He managed to buy a pair of Air Jordans with the profits before eventually getting the operation shut down by his parents.[6]
His script for Cedar Rapids (2011) was included in the 2009 Black List (survey), a list voted by members of the entertainment industry for favorite, unproduced screenplays.[13]
Personal life edit
Johnston met his wife, Jill Cordes, while working as a reporter at KETV, Nebraska, where she was a morning anchor.[14]
While attending Columbia, he lived in Brooklyn with his wife, Jill.[4] He was neighbors with film critic Christy Lemire.[4]
Filmography edit
Feature films edit
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Other | Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Night Listener | No | No | No | Yes | Assistant to Patrick Stettner | |
| 2007 | Savage Grace | No | No | No | Yes | Researcher | |
| 2010 | Ghosts/Aliens | No | Yes | Executive | No | Television Film | |
| 2011 | Cedar Rapids | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | No | Yes | No | Yes | Surge Protector | |
| 2014 | A Merry Friggin' Christmas | No | Yes | No | No | Credited as "Michael Brown" | |
| 2016 | Zootopia | No | Yes | No | Yes | Gideon Grey / Annoyed Citizen | |
| 2017 | The Brothers Grimsby | No | Yes | Executive | No | ||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Surge Protector | Song Lyrics: "A Place Called Slaughter Race", "In This Place"; Creative Leadership |
| 2025 | The Twits | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Short films edit
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Film Editor | Other | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | A Thousand Words | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 2005 | Two Men | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Rupture | No | No | No | No | Yes | Chet Rimson (Radio Announcer) | ||
| Flightless Birds | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| 2007 | Bomb | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2013 | Garlan Hulse: Where Potential Lives | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Garlan Hulse | |
| 2024 | Dust Monster | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special thanks |
Other credits edit
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Moana | Creative Leadership |
| 2019 | Frozen II | |
| 2020 | Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Special Thanks |
| 2022 | The Sea Beast |
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | WorldFest Houston | Independent Student Film & Videos - Graduate Level Student Productions | A Thousand Words | Won | |
| 2012 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Screenplay | Cedar Rapids | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Annie Awards | Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Wreck-It Ralph | Won | |
| 2017 | Annie Awards | Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Zootopia | Won | [15] |
| Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America | Ray Bradbury Award | Zootopia | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Animated Feature Film | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |
| Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Animated Feature Film | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
| Annie Awards | Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
| Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |||
| Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
| Academy Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ "Welcome to Zootopia at D23 EXPO!". D23. August 15, 2015. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ^ a b "COMMON COUNCIL MINUTES" (PDF). May 3, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Kaufman, Anthony (July 28, 2009). "Phil Johnston - 10 Screenwriters to Watch". Variety. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "Breakfast All Day: Episode 018: A La Carte With Phil Johnston". bfastallday.libsyn.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ "Badgerwood: Video series features UW-Madison alumni in Hollywood". news.wisc.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ a b c "Cartoon Pyramid With Phil Johnston And Mo Willems". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ Robinson, Laurann. "Oscars Preview: What goes in to making an Oscar-winning animated film?". Omaha, Nebraska: KETV. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ "Former KARE reporter now an Oscar nominee". KARE. Archived from the original on 2023-07-29. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
- ^ "'Green Book' by Writing Alumnus Peter Farrelly '86 Wins Three Golden Globes". Columbia - School of the Arts. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ Stewart, Jill (2013-05-15). "Jennifer Lee: Disney's New Animation Queen". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- ^ Taylor Rick, Lynn (7 March 2004). "Big Dreams in a small town". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ a b "The Bricks of Breaking In: 'Wreck-It Ralph's' Phil Johnston on Screenwriting as a Second Career". blog.finaldraft.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-08. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
- ^ Finke, Nikki (2009-12-11). "The Black List 2009: Full Roster". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ "AN ATYPICAL LIFE AFTER TV NEWS – NewsBlues.com". Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ "44th Annie Award Nominees". International Animated Film Society. November 28, 2016. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
External links edit
- Phil Johnston at IMDb