Nik Ranieri | DISNEY THIS DAY

Nik Ranieri | DISNEY THIS DAY | August 22, 1961

August 23, 2026

On this day in 1961, character animator Nik Ranieri was born. He was hired by Disney in 1987 to work on the title character in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’ Ranieri went on to animate some of the most recognizable characters in the Disney Renaissance and beyond, including Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Lumiere in ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Jafar in ‘Aladdin,’ and Mother Gothel in ‘Tangled.’ His skill at creating subtle facial expressions and emotional dialogue scenes earned him Annie Awards for both Meeko in ‘Pocahontas’ and Hades in ‘Hercules.’ [65 years ago in 2026]

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