Eric Goldberg - Biography

Eric Goldberg (born in 1955) is an American animator and film director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He's also well known as the creator of Disney character Genie in Aladdin

Goldberg was raised in Levittown, Pennsylvania and moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey as a child, where he attended Cherry Hill High School East. Goldberg later studied at Pratt Institute, where he majored in illustration. He first entered the industry in the mid-1970s working on Raggedy Ann and Andy for the Richard Williams studio, eventually moving to Williams' London studio and rising through the ranks from assistant to director. During the 1980s, Goldberg started his own London-based studio, Pizazz Pictures, to produce television commercials.

Later, Goldberg closed his studio to work at Disney Animation Studios, Burbank, California, to work on the film, Aladdin, where he became the lead animator on the character Genie, and later the lead animator on Phil in Hercules (1997). Goldberg also was the co-director of Disney's 1995 feature Pocahontas. During his time as the lead animator for the Genie, he also provided the majority of the original animation for MC Skat Kat's Big Time music video, which was finished in 1992 but left unaired.

In 1997, Goldberg began plans to produce an animated short set to the music of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. His film eventually became part of Disney's Fantasia 2000 after Goldberg was allowed to use the Disney staff to complete the film during a production hiatus on The Emperor's New Groove. He also served as director for Fantaisia 2000's The Carnival of the Animals segment. Goldberg's wife Susan served as art director on both segments.

Goldberg not only served as the director of animation for Warner Bros.' 2003 live-action/animation hybrid feature Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but he also provided the voices of Marvin the Martian, Tweety, and Speedy Gonzalez. He animated the title sequence of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 2006 remake of The Pink Panther, with Bob Kurtz of Kurtz and Friends. Later, he was a head writer on a variety of shows such as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and iCarly.

Recently, Goldberg returned to Disney, where he directed four minutes of animation for the Epcot attraction Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros and contributed to the 2007 animated short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater starring Goofy. Most recently, he was the supervising animator for Louis in The Princess and the Frog, and Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh. In 2011 Eric Goldberg was named the 21st most influential animator in Disney history on the blog the 50 Most Influential Disney Animators.

Filmography

External links

• Eric Goldberg's first visit to CalArts' Character Animation Program (Fall'05)
• Eric Goldberg's second visit to CalArts' Character Animation Program (Spring '06)
• Animated News' Interview with Goldberg (2005)
• From Script to DVD interview
• Eric Goldberg on Voice Chasers
• (http://50mostinfluentialdisneyanimators.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/21-eric-goldberg/)