1. Overview
Rich Moore is an acclaimed American film and television animation director, screenwriter, and voice actor, widely recognized for his significant contributions to both influential animated television series and successful feature films. His career spans decades, marked by directorial roles in iconic shows such as The Simpsons, The Critic, and Futurama, where he helped shape the landscape of adult animation. He transitioned to feature film directing, achieving critical and commercial success with Walt Disney Animation Studios films like Wreck-It Ralph, Zootopia, and Ralph Breaks the Internet. Moore is a highly decorated professional in the animation industry, having received multiple prestigious awards, including two Emmy Awards, three Annie Awards, and an Academy Award.
2. Early Life and Education
Richard L. Moore was born on May 10, 1963, and grew up in Oxnard, California. His foundational education in animation began at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he studied film and video. He graduated from CalArts in 1987 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During his time at CalArts, Moore contributed to his classmate Jim Reardon's 1986 student film, Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown, by providing narration. His CalArts class also included other notable future filmmakers such as Andrew Stanton and Brenda Chapman.
3. Career
Rich Moore's career in animation began in television before he transitioned to directing major animated feature films, also contributing as a voice actor and in other creative capacities.
3.1. Television Animation Career
After graduating from CalArts, Moore' began his professional career in 1987, working for Ralph Bakshi on CBS's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, where he co-wrote all 13 episodes of the first season. He then became one of the original three directors for the highly influential animated series The Simpsons. From 1990 to 1993, he directed 17 episodes across the first five seasons, including notable installments such as "Flaming Moe's", "Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie", and "Marge vs. the Monorail". In 1991, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for The Simpsons episode "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment". He later returned to the franchise as one of the sequence directors for The Simpsons Movie in 2007.
In 1994, Moore took on the role of producer and supervising director for the animated series The Critic. Following this, he oversaw the creative development and production of Futurama as its supervising director. He also directed several episodes of Futurama from 1999 to 2001, including the acclaimed episode "Roswell That Ends Well", for which he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. His other television directing credits include Comedy Central's Drawn Together and the "Spy vs. Spy" segments for Family Guy. In 2009, he served as supervising director for the Fox television series Sit Down, Shut Up.
3.2. Film Directing Career
Moore ventured into film directing with the 2004 Warner Bros. Animation animated short film Duck Dodgers in Attack of the Drones. In 2008, he was invited by John Lasseter to join Walt Disney Animation Studios as a director, with a suggestion to develop a story set within the world of video games. This concept evolved into the 2012 animated feature Wreck-It Ralph, which marked Moore's feature directorial debut. The film garnered significant box office success and critical acclaim, winning five Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature and a Best Director award for Moore. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
His next major animated feature was Disney's Zootopia, which he co-directed with Byron Howard and Jared Bush. Released on March 4, 2016, Zootopia became the second highest-grossing animated feature film of 2016, earning over 1.02 B USD worldwide. The film was widely praised for its exploration of themes such as prejudice and diversity, and it went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Following Zootopia, Moore returned to direct Ralph Breaks the Internet, the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, alongside filmmaker Phil Johnston. The film, released in 2018, was a financial success, surpassing its predecessor with over 529.30 M USD globally. It received multiple nominations in the Best Animated Feature category, including the Academy Awards, Annie Awards, and Golden Globe Awards.
On April 8, 2019, Moore announced his departure from Disney to join Sony Pictures Animation, where he was set to direct and produce original animated films. His work at Sony Pictures Animation included producing the film Vivo. As of March 16, 2022, Moore has entered into an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with Skydance Animation. It was revealed on October 18, 2023, that he is directing an untitled Jack and the Beanstalk project for Skydance Animation.
3.3. Voice Acting and Other Roles
Beyond directing, Rich Moore has also lent his voice to several animated characters. In Wreck-It Ralph, he voiced the characters Sour Bill and Zangief. He reprised these roles in Ralph Breaks the Internet, also voicing a Stormtrooper. For Zootopia, he provided the voices for Doug and Larry. In Vivo, he voiced an Iguana, and in Spellbound, he voiced The Postmaster.
His other creative contributions include serving as an additional story artist for Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, character color designer for Christmas in Tattertown, character animator and designer for Technological Threat, animation director and story artist for Hound Town, and production assistant for The Affliction. He was also part of the Disney Story Trust, an uncredited role that contributed to films such as Bolt, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Winnie the Pooh, and Frozen. He received special thanks for his contributions to Snookles, Get a Horse!, Feast, and Finding Dory. He also held creative leadership roles for Big Hero 6, Moana, and Frozen II.
4. Filmography
Rich Moore's filmography includes a diverse range of roles in feature films, short films, and other animated projects.
4.1. Feature Films
| Year | Title | Director | Story | Producer | Other | Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Simpsons Movie | No | No | No | Yes | Sequence Director | |
| 2007 | Futurama: Bender's Big Score | No | No | Animation Executive | No | Direct-to-video | |
| 2008 | Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! | No | No | No | Yes | Additional Story Artist | |
| 2008 | Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs | No | No | Animation Executive | No | Direct-to-video | |
| 2008 | Futurama: Bender's Game | No | No | Animation Executive | No | Direct-to-video | |
| 2009 | Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder | No | No | Animation Executive | No | Direct-to-video | |
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Sour Bill and Zangief | |
| 2016 | Zootopia | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Doug and Larry | Creative Leadership |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Sour Bill, Zangief, and Stormtrooper | Song Producer: "A Place Called Slaughter Race", Creative Leadership |
| 2021 | Vivo | No | No | Yes | Yes | Iguana | |
| 2024 | Spellbound | No | No | No | Yes | The Postmaster | Additional Literary Materials |
| TBA | Untitled Jack and the Beanstalk project | Yes | No | No | No |
4.2. Short Films
| Year | Title | Director | Story | Other | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Somewhere in the Arctic | No | No | Yes | Dohk | |
| 1986 | Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown | Yes | No | Yes | Charlie Brown / Narration | Aided and abetted by |
| 1986 | Snookles | No | No | Yes | Dragon | Special thanks |
| 1988 | Christmas in Tattertown | No | No | Yes | Character color designer | |
| 1988 | Technological Threat | No | Yes | Yes | Character animator, Designer | |
| 1989 | Hound Town | No | No | Yes | Animation director, Story artist | |
| 1993 | Inland Empire | No | No | Yes | Harper Brackman | |
| 2004 | Duck Dodgers in Attack of the Drones | Yes | No | Yes | Voiced For Daffy Duck | |
| 2009 | The Affliction | No | No | Yes | Production assistant | |
| 2013 | Garlan Hulse: Where Potential Lives | Yes | No | Yes | Rich Moore | |
| 2024 | Dust Monster | No | No | Yes | Special thanks |
4.3. Other Credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | A Story | Thanks |
| 2003 | The Simpsons: Hit & Run | Special Thanks |
| 2008 | Bolt | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2009 | The Princess and the Frog | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2010 | Tangled | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2011 | Winnie the Pooh | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2013 | Get a Horse! | Additional Thanks |
| 2013 | Frozen | Disney Story Trust - uncredited |
| 2014 | Feast | Special Thanks |
| 2014 | Big Hero 6 | Creative Leadership |
| 2016 | Finding Dory | Special Thanks |
| 2016 | Moana | Creative Leadership |
| 2019 | Frozen II | Creative Leadership |
5. Awards
Rich Moore has received numerous awards and nominations for his extensive work in both television and feature film animation.
5.1. Feature Film Awards
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | Won Best Animated Feature at Annie Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, National Board of Review Awards. Nominated for Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. |
| 2016 | Zootopia | Won Best Animated Feature at Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Best Animated Feature at Annie Awards, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film. |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated for Best Animated Feature at Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Best Animated Feature at Annie Awards, Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. |
5.2. Emmy Awards
- 1991 - Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour) for The Simpsons ("Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment")
- 2002 - Outstanding Animated Program (Programming Less Than One Hour) for Futurama ("Roswell That Ends Well")
5.3. Annie Awards
- 2002 - Directing in an Animated Television Production for Futurama ("Roswell That Ends Well")
- 2012 - Directing in an Animated Feature Production for Wreck-It Ralph
- 2016 - Directing in an Animated Feature Production for Zootopia (Shared with Byron Howard)
5.4. Academy Awards
- 2012 - Nominated: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Wreck-It Ralph
- 2016 - Won: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Zootopia
- 2018 - Nominated: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Ralph Breaks the Internet
6. Television Directing Credits
Rich Moore has an extensive list of television directing credits, particularly for highly popular and critically acclaimed animated series.
6.1. The Simpsons
- "The Telltale Head" (season 1, episode 8, original air date: February 25, 1990)
- "Homer's Night Out" (season 1, episode 10, March 25, 1990)
- "Simpson and Delilah" (season 2, episode 2, October 18, 1990)
- "Treehouse of Horror" (season 2, episode 3, October 25, 1990)
- "Dead Putting Society" (season 2, episode 6, November 15, 1990)
- "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" (season 2, episode 13, February 7, 1991)
- "Lisa's Substitute" (season 2, episode 19, April 25, 1991)
- "Stark Raving Dad" (season 3, episode 1, September 19, 1991)
- "Bart the Murderer" (season 3, episode 4, October 10, 1991)
- "Flaming Moe's" (season 3, episode 10, November 21, 1991)
- "Lisa the Greek" (season 3, episode 14, January 23, 1992)
- "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" (season 3, episode 24, August 27, 1992)
- "A Streetcar Named Marge" (season 4, episode 2, October 1, 1992)
- "Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie" (season 4, episode 6, November 3, 1992)
- "Marge vs. the Monorail" (season 4, episode 12, January 14, 1993)
- "The Front" (season 4, episode 19, April 15, 1993)
- "Cape Feare" (season 5, episode 2, October 7, 1993)
6.2. The Critic
- "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1, January 26, 1994)
- "Lady Hawke" (season 2, episode 3, March 19, 1995)
- "I Can't Believe It's a Clip Show" (season 2, episode 10, May 21, 1995)
6.3. Futurama
- "Space Pilot 3000" (co-directed with Gregg Vanzo) (season 1, episode 0, March 28, 1999)
- "Hell Is Other Robots" (season 2, episode 9, May 18, 1999)
- "A Clone of My Own" (season 2, episode 15, April 9, 2000)
- "Anthology of Interest I" (co-directed with Chris Louden) (season 3, episode 20, May 21, 2000)
- "Roswell That Ends Well" (season 4, episode 1, December 9, 2001)
6.4. Baby Blues
- "Bizzy Moves In" (season 1, episode 2, July 28, 2000)
6.5. Drawn Together
- "Clum Babies" (season 2, episode 5, November 16, 2005)
- "Alzheimer's That Ends Well" (season 3, episode 14, March 8, 2006)