John Musker

John Musker was an Oscar-nominated writer and director best known for co-directing "The Little Mermaid" (1989) and "Aladdin" (1992), two of the most celebrated animated Disney films of the late 20th century. Musker began his training as an animator in the 1970s, and by the early 1980s he was working as a character animator on major animated features like "The Fox and the Hound" (1981). However, Musker always dreamed of becoming a director, and in 1986 he, along with three other collaborators, which included Ron Clements, helmed the animated feature "The Great Mouse Detective." After working together on "The Great Mouse Detective," Musker and Clements found that they shared a similar sensibility and style with their work, and together, formed one of the most successful directing teams of their era. Together, Musker and Clements co-directed "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," and "The Princess and the Frog" (2009), all three of which are considered modern animated classics. He may have started his career as a lowly animator but by the mid-2010s, John Musker had proven himself as one of the most respected animated feature film directors of his generation.