Lee Unkrich is an American director and film editor. Lee has climbed the ladder of success as evident from his overall net worth. Find out more about him here.
Lee Unkrich Wiki: Director, ‘Toy Story 3’, Finding Nemo’,
Lee Unkrich is an American director and a film editor. born on August 8 in 1967 in Ohio. He attended Chagrin Falls High School in Ohio where he took French as a foreign language. He spent most of his youth at the Cleveland Playhouse but later joined the University Of Southern California School Of Cinematic Arts from which he graduated in 1990. He began his career journey in the film industry where he worked as an editor and director in television for a few years and shortly afterward, he joined Pixar in 1994.
Lee Unkrich’s Career
The American director Lee Unkrich began his careeras a film editor in 1994, as a member of the creative team at Pixar Animation Studio. He was the co-director of ‘Monsters, Inc.,’ ‘Finding Nemo,’ and ‘Toy Story 2’. In 2011, he won the Academy Award for Best-Animated Feature after he directed his first solo debut with the release ‘Toy Story 3’.‘Toy Story 3’ made the Pixar director’s career explode. ‘Toy Story 3″ is the second highest grossing animated feature in worldwide Box Office history.
This award allowed Lee Unkrich to join the list of the University Of Southern California School Of Cinematic Arts alumni. ‘Toy Story 3’ was created shortly before the development of the movie Coco. Coco is based on the story of a festive season celebrated in Mexico to honor the dead, called ‘Day of the Dead.’
Unkrich was afraid that producing Coco would bring chaos and he cause accusations of abuse of ethnic culture but that wasn’t the case. He knows that artists are not restricted to come up with stories based on their own culture so he did everything he could to ensure his film did not face any backlash. The Pixar director researched facts about Coco while in Mexico and he even used personal stories of Latino team members to write the story. He did not use the playbook to create fictional characters as he did in ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Monsters, Inc.’
Facts to Know About the Director Lee Unkrich
1. The Pixar director Lee Unkrich met up with the Chief Creative Officer of the Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney animation studios, and Disneytoon studios back in 2011. He presented him with three ideas of the next animation to feature in Pixar. One of Lee Unkrich’s idea was the Day of the Dead. The chief creative officer complimented Lee for his remarkable idea and outstanding creative imagination. He thought that the Day of the Dead storyline was remarkable and unique. 2. When director Lee Unkrich came up with the idea of the Day of the Dead, he was fascinated with Mexican culture. Therefore, he did his best to bring the culture out in a vibrant way. Lee Unkrich did an extensive research in Mexico. He thought he knew how the day of the dead is celebrated. He was surprised to find out that it was celebrated to honor the dead.The story was produced although the storyline changed towards the end. The day of the dead will first be shown in Mexico before making its premiere in the United States of America. 3. Lee Unkrich is married to Laura Unkrich and they have 3 children, two daughters, Alice and Hannah and one son named Max Unkrich. Hannah Unkrich is the oldest of the three children and Max is the youngest. The remarkable director lives with his family in Kentfield in California. Lee Unkrich’s full name is Lee Edward Unkrich. 4. Lee Unkrich has been nominated for the Oscar 2018 Award for the annual awards for his animated film Coco. The Academy president presented the nominees in 24 categories. Lee Unkrich will be awarded as the Best Animated Feature director. The Oscar 2018 will be live on Sunday, March 4, 2018, on ABC. Lee Unkrich has 21 wins and 31 nominations. 5. Lee Unkrich was inspired to become a filmmaker and director by a film called The Shinning. He also made a website that featured ephemera from the Film Shining. His favorite films are Raising Arizona, Monsters, Inc., Blue Velvet, Punch Drunk Love, and An Angel at My Table.
The Director Lee Unkrich’s Net Worth
The American director Lee Unkrich is a gifted man who has an estimated net worth of $ 215 million. He has achieved his net worth since he graduated from university in 1990. He has 21 wins and 31 nominations from the Pixar Animated Films, which he directed, therefore, accumulating his net worth. Lee Unkrich estimated net worth in the year 2018 only is $ 2.5 million. This year’s estimated net worth will increase his accumulated net worth over the years. He is among the richest celebrities. Lee Unkrich is a remarkable director and filmmaker. He has seen his progress as film editor over the decades. Apart from being a filmmaker and a director at Pixar Animated Studios, he is also a family man. He has a remarkable creative imagination that made him be short-listed on an Oscar 2018 Award because of his new film Coco. He has won many awards and nominations. No wonder Lee Edward Unkrich is loved and he continues to be a mentor to many aspiring filmmakers.
