Brenda Chapman
| Brenda Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 1, 1962 Beason, Illinois |
| Residence | Tamalpais Valley, California |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupation | Animator, director, storyboard artist |
| Years active | Mid-1980s–present |
| Notable work |
Beauty and the Beast Brave The Lion King The Little Mermaid The Prince of Egypt |
| Spouse(s) | Kevin Lima |
| Children | Emma Rose Lima |
| Website | http://brenda-chapman.com/ |
Brenda Chapman (born November 1, 1962) is an American writer, animation story artist and director. In 1998, she became the first woman to direct an animated feature from a major studio, DreamWorks Animation's The Prince of Egypt. She co-directed the Disney·Pixar film Brave, becoming the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Chapman was born in Beason, Illinois as the youngest of five. She went to Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, receiving her Associate of Arts degree. She then moved to California and studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). During her summer breaks, she began her professional career working in syndicated television animation. After graduating with a BFA in character animation, she was a story trainee on the Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. She was one of several key story artists on Disney's Beauty and the Beast, where she worked closely with future Disney director Roger Allers to define many of the key sequences and motifs used in the film. She later served as head of story, the first woman to do so in an animated feature film, for Disney's animated classic The Lion King.
Chapman also worked in story and development for other Disney animated films such as The Rescuers Down Under, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Fantasia 2000. She joined DreamWorks Animation at its inception in the fall of 1994.
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