Ash Brannon
Ashley Peter Brannon (born July 19, 1969) is an American animator, storyboard artist, writer, and director. He was a story artist and directing animator on "Toy Story" and co-director on "Toy Story 2". Besides working at Pixar he has also worked with DreamWorks Animation on "Over the Hedge" and Sony Pictures Animation on "Surf's Up". He also directed and wrote the 2016 computer-animated film "Rock Dog". Early life. Brannon was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. Career. Brannon studied visual arts at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida for high school and  went on to CalArts for further education. Studying in CalArts Character Animation program, Brannon likewise practiced his skills in animation as a trainee for Disney Animation's 1989 film "The Little Mermaid" from 1990 to 1992. In the meantime, Brannon served as an animator for such projects as Nike's Hare Jordan Super Bowl ad in 1992 and the television series "That's Warner Bros.!". He won an Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production and Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production on "Toy Story 2". He was also nominated  for an Oscar in 2007 on "Surf's Up". According to the "Toy Story 2" DVD audio commentary, Al McWhiggin's licence plate "LZTYBRN," is Brannon's actual licence plate.