Ron Clements has directed many favorite films of Disney fans. Through the years, he co-directed The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana. Clements retired after making Moana. At the Annecy Animation Studios, he appeared to be inducted into the Annecy Walk of Fame.
“This is so cool,” Clements said. “It’s such an honor to be memorialized this way. Unbelievable. So thank you. Thank you with all my heart. I am very, very appreciative.”
Along with this honor, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios Jared Bush announced that Clements is coming out of retirement. He will be back at Walt Disney Animation Studios in an advisory role.
Bush announced Clements’ return, saying, “I’ve actually unretired a very important person here, Ron Clements, who’s coming back to the studio. Ron is one of the reasons that I do what I do… The legacy he helped build is the foundation we walk on.”
“I really have been enjoying retirement,” Clements said, “but I’m excited about just returning to kind of mentor… There aren’t as many old people around as there used to be, and there certainly are so many young people who want to work in animation.”
Clements talks about the sense of legacy with Variety and shared his animation origin story. “I was nine years old… and I saw a reissue of ‘Pinocchio’ in our local theater. I couldn’t get it out of my mind… I decided at that point that I wanted to be an animator, and I wanted to work for Walt Disney.”
Bush added that The Jungle Book and The Little Mermaid were his childhood inspirations. “Just wanting to be a part of that kind of storytelling legacy was really important,” he said. “To be honest, I never knew that it was possible to join Disney Animation… let alone run it. That was never even a dream I let myself have.”
Now, decades later, Bush leads Walt Disney Animation Studios. In this role, he shared his priorities: “There are three things I believe define our path forward. First is joy and imagination… Second, this deep collaboration… And lastly, we are committed to always swinging for the fences.”
Ron Clements first came to Walt Disney Animation Studios in the 1970s. He worked as an assistant and animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, The Rescuers, Pete’s Dragon, The Fox and the Hound, and The Black Cauldron. From there, he would go on to direct some favorite Disney animated films for many Disney fans.
What do you think of Ron Clements being given this honor and also returning to Walt Disney Animation Studios? Are you excited about what this could mean for Disney? Do you think Walt Disney Animation Studios is heading in the right direction? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
