# Rob Minkoff
**Rob Minkoff** (born 1962) is an American animator and film director best known for co-directing Disney's *The Lion King* (1994) with Roger Allers and for directing the *Stuart Little* films, *The Haunted Mansion* (2003), *The Forbidden Kingdom* (2008), and *Mr. Peabody & Sherman* (2014). His birth name is Robert Ralph Minkoff[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19647/biographie/), and he was born and raised in [Palo Alto, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/palo-alto-california)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962, Palo Alto, California; birth name Robert Ralph Minkoff[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450/bio/) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19647/biographie/) |
| Training | California Institute of the Arts, Character Animation program, 1980–1983[3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robminkoff) |
| Disney years | Joined Disney in 1983 as an inbetweener on *The Black Cauldron*; helped design Basil in *The Great Mouse Detective* and Ursula in *The Little Mermaid*[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/minkoff-rob/) |
| Signature film | Co-directed *The Lion King* (1994) with Roger Allers; selected for the National Film Registry[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/minkoff-rob/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450/bio/) |
| Live-action work | *Stuart Little* (1999), *Stuart Little 2* (2002), *The Haunted Mansion* (2003), *The Forbidden Kingdom* (2008), *Flypaper* (2011)[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/) |
| Return to animation | *Mr. Peabody & Sherman* (2014), his first entirely CGI film[6](https://thatshelf.com/interview-rob-minkoff/) |
| Recent work | *Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank* (2022), an animated re-imagining of Mel Brooks' *Blazing Saddles* (1974)[7](https://calarts.edu/calarts-events/calarts-lion-king-and-beyond-conversation-rob-minkoff) |
## Early life and education
Minkoff grew up in Palo Alto, California, where his interest in drawing and animation grew out of an 8mm film collection that included Disney's *Sleeping Beauty* (1959); he slowed the films down and studied the action frame by frame, and later deepened his self-education after finding the book *The Art of Walt Disney* at a friend's house[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/). He also worked in theater as a young man, performing with the Palo Alto Children's Theater, Theater Works, and his high school drama group[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/).
He attended the California Institute of the Arts Character Animation program from 1980 to 1983[3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robminkoff), and in 1982 served an internship at Disney, where he trained with Eric Larson, one of the studio's legendary "nine old men"[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/).
## The Disney years
Minkoff joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983 and worked as an inbetweener on *The Black Cauldron* (1985)[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/minkoff-rob/). He moved on to *The Great Mouse Detective* (1986) and then designed characters for *The Brave Little Toaster* (1987)[7](https://calarts.edu/calarts-events/calarts-lion-king-and-beyond-conversation-rob-minkoff). The Disney archive records that he helped design the characters of Basil in *The Great Mouse Detective* and Ursula in *The Little Mermaid*[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/minkoff-rob/). He also co-wrote the song "Good Company" for *Oliver & Company* (1988) and worked as a character designer and animator on *The Little Mermaid* (1989)[7](https://calarts.edu/calarts-events/calarts-lion-king-and-beyond-conversation-rob-minkoff). The AFI catalog additionally credits him with character animation on *The Little Mermaid* and pre-production screenplay development and backgrounds on *Beauty and the Beast* (1991)[8](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/264104-Rob-Minkoff?cp=1&cxt=Director&pos=4&sid=2566ab28-b5d3-41dc-a700-cde5567087f3&sr=0.026031127).
His directing debut came on two animated shorts starring [Roger Rabbit](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-rabbit), *Tummy Trouble* (1989) and *Roller Coaster Rabbit* (1990), and he co-produced a third, *Trail Mix-up*[4](https://d23.com/a-to-z/minkoff-rob/). In between the two Roger Rabbit cartoons he directed a short live-action comedy for [Walt Disney World](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-world), an experience that, according to the *Los Angeles Times*, whetted his appetite for filming live[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-30-ca-6229-story.html). He was in discussions to direct *Beauty and the Beast*, but that did not happen; *The Lion King* was the next project[10](https://justlovemovies.com/2011/10/04/an-interview-with-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers-co-directors-of-the-lion-king/).
## The Lion King
When Minkoff and Allers signed on, the film was considered the studio's second-tier project. Minkoff recalled that it was originally called *King of the Jungle* and "was not well regarded around the studio"; when [Jeffrey Katzenberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-katzenberg) split the studio to make two films simultaneously, many of the top animators chose *Pocahontas*, which Katzenberg had called the "home run" while *The Lion King* was the "risk." That gave younger animators the chance to step into leadership roles on characters such as Pumbaa, Timon, and Rafiki[11](https://animesuperhero.com/virtual-roundtable-discussion-with-the-lion-king-directors-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers/).
The two directors split the film by sequences: Allers led "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" while Minkoff led "Circle of Life," and they worked side by side on story, music, and editing[11](https://animesuperhero.com/virtual-roundtable-discussion-with-the-lion-king-directors-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers/). Minkoff said the pair initially conceived the film as "Bambi in Africa," and that the Hamlet parallels were acknowledged during a pitch to [Michael Eisner](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-eisner), Katzenberg, Peter Schneider, and Tom Schumacher, after which the filmmakers kept looking for ways to model the film on Shakespeare[11](https://animesuperhero.com/virtual-roundtable-discussion-with-the-lion-king-directors-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers/).
*The Lion King* opened in 1994 and became a landmark. At the time of its 2011 3D re-release it was described as the most successful hand-drawn animated film in US box office history[11](https://animesuperhero.com/virtual-roundtable-discussion-with-the-lion-king-directors-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers/), and it is the one film Minkoff has directed that has been selected for the [National Film Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-registry) by the Library of Congress[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450/bio/). The film's lasting profile is reflected in its afterlife: [Jon Favreau](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-favreau)'s 2019 photorealistic remake was a direct adaptation of the 1994 animated film[12](https://time.com/5624607/the-lion-king-live-action-review/).
## Stuart Little and live-action filmmaking
After *The Lion King*, Minkoff left Disney for Columbia Pictures, where he directed *Stuart Little* (1999)[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/). The film, based on E.B. White's book, starred [Geena Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/geena-davis) and [Hugh Laurie](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugh-laurie) as a couple who adopt a talking mouse voiced by [Michael J. Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-j-fox), with a screenplay by M. Night Shyamalan and Greg Brooker[13](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/stuart-little-1999). Minkoff described the central translation problem as making a world where people are not surprised that a mouse exists and can talk, while keeping the characters' emotions recognizable[14](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-07-ca-30746-story.html). Critics credited his animation background for the seamlessness of the digital/live-action matches[15](https://www.timeout.com/movies/stuart-little), and the film was followed by *Stuart Little 2* in 2002[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/).
He then moved further into live action with *The Haunted Mansion* (2003), starring [Eddie Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-murphy) and based on the Disney parks attraction[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19647/biographie/), and *The Forbidden Kingdom* (2008), which brought [Jet Li](https://www.edgepedia.org/jet-li) and [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan) together on screen for the first time[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19647/biographie/). *Flypaper* (2011), starring Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd, followed[5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/).
## Return to animation
*Mr. Peabody & Sherman* (2014) marked Minkoff's first fully animated feature since *The Lion King* and his first film with [DreamWorks Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/dreamworks-animation)[6](https://thatshelf.com/interview-rob-minkoff/). The project began in conversations with producer Jason Clark while Minkoff was still working on *Stuart Little*; the idea was taken to DreamWorks in 2005, and the version the studio was willing to make was finally settled on in 2011[16](https://www.minnesotaconnected.com/blog/one-on-one-with-rob-minkoff-director-of-the-lion-king-and-the-upcoming-mr-peabody-sherman/). Minkoff noted the technical leap from the 2D hand-drawn *Lion King* to a film that was entirely computer-generated and released in 3D[6](https://thatshelf.com/interview-rob-minkoff/).
His most recent credited feature listed by his CalArts alumni profile is *Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank* (2022), an animated re-imagining of [Mel Brooks](https://www.edgepedia.org/mel-brooks)' *Blazing Saddles*[7](https://calarts.edu/calarts-events/calarts-lion-king-and-beyond-conversation-rob-minkoff). He runs a company called Cinemation in the Los Angeles area[3](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robminkoff).
## Personal life
Minkoff married Crystal Kung Minkoff on September 29, 2007; they have two children, Zoe and Max[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450/bio/). IMDb credits him with two BAFTA Award nominations among two wins and four nominations total[17](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450).
## References
1. [Rob Minkoff : Sa biographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19647/biographie/)
2. [Rob Minkoff – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450/bio/)
3. [Rob Minkoff, LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robminkoff)
4. [Minkoff, Rob – D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/minkoff-rob/)
5. [Rob Minkoff Biography, Showtimes](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/rob-minkoff-3272/biography/)
6. [Interview: Rob Minkoff, That Shelf](https://thatshelf.com/interview-rob-minkoff/)
7. [From CalArts to The Lion King and Beyond: A Conversation with Rob Minkoff, CalArts](https://calarts.edu/calarts-events/calarts-lion-king-and-beyond-conversation-rob-minkoff)
8. [Rob Minkoff filmography, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/264104-Rob-Minkoff?cp=1&cxt=Director&pos=4&sid=2566ab28-b5d3-41dc-a700-cde5567087f3&sr=0.026031127)
9. [Drawn to Live-Action Directing, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-30-ca-6229-story.html)
10. [An Interview with Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers, Co-Directors of The Lion King, Just Love Movies](https://justlovemovies.com/2011/10/04/an-interview-with-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers-co-directors-of-the-lion-king/)
11. [A Virtual Roundtable Discussion with The Lion King Co-Directors, Anime Superhero News](https://animesuperhero.com/virtual-roundtable-discussion-with-the-lion-king-directors-rob-minkoff-and-roger-allers/)
12. [Disney Keeps Remaking Movies Like The Lion King. Is That So Bad?, Time](https://time.com/5624607/the-lion-king-live-action-review/)
13. [Stuart Little movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/stuart-little-1999)
14. [Building a Better Mouse, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-07-ca-30746-story.html)
15. [Stuart Little review, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/stuart-little)
16. [One-on-One With Rob Minkoff, Minnesota Connected](https://www.minnesotaconnected.com/blog/one-on-one-with-rob-minkoff-director-of-the-lion-king-and-the-upcoming-mr-peabody-sherman/)
17. [Rob Minkoff, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591450)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of the United States and Canada › Contemporary film directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license