Brenda Chapman

Brenda Chapman

Brenda Chapman began her career as a story artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1987, contributing to The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Fantasia 2000, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Oscar-nominated Beauty and the Beast. She served as story supervisor on the original The Lion King, earning ASIFA's Annie Award.

Brenda helped launch DreamWorks Animation, co-directing the Oscar-winning The Prince of Egypt and consulting on Shrek, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. After joining Pixar in 2003 she created, wrote, and directed Brave — inspired by her relationship with her daughter — winning the Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. She also storyboarded on Cars and consulted on WALL-E, Up, and Ratatouille.

Her live-action debut Come Away, starring David Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, further underscoring Brenda's rich storytelling legacy.