Peter Ramsey

American illustrator, storyboard artist, and filmmaker

Illustrator
storyboard artist
filmmaker

Years active1988–presentKnown forRise of the Guardians
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Peter A. Ramsey (born December 23, 1962) is an American illustrator, storyboard artist, and filmmaker. He is best known for directing DreamWorks Animation's Rise of the Guardians (2012), becoming the first African American to direct a major American animated film,^[2] and co-directing Sony Pictures Animation's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). For Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, he became the first African American to be nominated for and win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Early life

Ramsey grew up in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles, and graduated in 1980 from Palisades High School. He studied painting at University of California, Los Angeles for two years before enrolling in film classes at Los Angeles City College.^[3] He was raised Catholic.^[4]

Career

His first job in Hollywood was painting a mural, but soon he was working as a storyboard artist and production illustrator on 26 films including Predator 2, Backdraft, Independence Day, Fight Club and A.I. Artificial Intelligence. He was a second unit director for Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Tank Girl and Godzilla. Aron Warner, the producer of Tank Girl, suggested he join DreamWorks Animation.^[5] After initially being uninterested, Ramsey joined DreamWorks as a story artist for Shrek the Third and Shrek the Halls.

In 2012, he directed Rise of the Guardians, based on William Joyce's The Guardians of Childhood books, making him the first African-American to direct a big-budget animated feature.^[1] In 2018, he co-directed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.^[6] He is set to write and direct Blood Count, a period vampire thriller distributed by Paramount Pictures, as well as the Robert Johnson movie Love is Vain.^[7]^[8] On April 16, 2021, he was set to direct the film adaptation of the Matthew Quick novel Boy21.^[9]

In April 2022, Ramsey had been hired to direct an episode each of the Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian season 3, which was released in March 2023, and Ahsoka, which was released in August 2023.^[10]^[11]

Ramsey is a member of AMPAS, the Directors Guild of America and The Animation Guild.^[12]

Filmography

Director

Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009)
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) (co-director with Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman)^[13]
We the People (2021) (Segment: Active Citizenship)
Lost Ollie (2022)
The Mandalorian (2023) (Episode: "Chapter 21: The Pirate")
Ahsoka (2023) (Episode: "Part Four: Fallen Jedi")
Blood Count (TBA)^[7]

Second unit director

Poetic Justice (1993)
Higher Learning (1995)
Tank Girl (1995)
Godzilla (1998)

Storyboard artist

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Predator 2 (1990)
Tank Girl (1995)
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Eye for an Eye (1996)
Independence Day (1996)
Men in Black (1997)
Godzilla (1998)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Fight Club (1999)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Cast Away (2000)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
The Affair of the Necklace (2001)
Panic Room (2002)
Minority Report (2002)
Adaptation. (2002)
The Core (2003)
Spartan (2004)
Shark Tale (2004) (additional)
Shrek the Third (2007)
Shrek the Halls (2007)
Penguins of Madagascar (2014) (additional)
Sausage Party (2016) (additional)
Duck Duck Goose (2018) (additional)
A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Illustrator

Backdraft (1991)
Far and Away (1992)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
The Shadow (1994)
Batman Forever (1995)
EDtv (1999)

Other

Almost an Angel (1990) (continuity artist)
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) (head of story)
Puss in Boots (2011) (creative consultant)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) (head of story)
Hair Love (2019) (executive producer)^[14]
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) (executive producer)^[15]
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (2023) (executive producer)^[16]
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (TBA) (executive producer)^[17]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Title	Category	Result	Ref(s)
2023	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Lost Ollie	Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program	Won
2022	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	We the People	Outstanding Short Form Program	Won
2019	Academy Awards	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Best Animated Feature	Won	^[18]
2019	Annie Awards		Directing in a Feature Production	Won	^[19]
2019	British Academy Film Awards		Best Animated Film	Won	^[20]
2019	Critics' Choice Movie Awards		Best Animated Feature	Won	^[21]
2013	Golden Globe Awards	Rise of the Guardians	Best Animated Feature Film	Nominated	^[22]
2019	Golden Globe Awards	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Best Animated Feature Film	Won	^[23]
2019	Hugo Awards	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Best Dramatic Presentation	Won	^[24]
2012	Visual Effects Society Awards	Rise of the Guardians	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature	Nominated	^[25]

References

^ ^a ^b Tulich, Katherine (July 21, 2012). "'Rise of the Guardians' director a self-taught success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
^ "Peter Ramsey is the First Black Person to Direct a Major Animated Film". 7 January 2019.
^ McDonald, Pamela Mays (24 October 2012). "Another "First" in Artistic Achievement: Director Peter Ramsey". Black Voices. HuffPost. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
^ "A Chat with Director Peter Ramsey". Katy Christian Magazine. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
^ Cavna, Michael (30 November 2012). "'RISE OF THE GUARDIANS': 'The Obama of animation'? Director Peter Ramsey deflects the comparison — but not the responsibility". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
^ "Oscar Nominations 2019: The Complete List". Variety. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Co-Director to Helm Vampire Thriller Blood Count". MovieWeb. 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
^ D’Allessandro, Anthony (November 5, 2019). "Paramount Buys 'Love In Vain' Pitch About Blues Pioneer Robert Johnson, 'Spider-Verse's Peter Ramsey Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
^ Breznican, Anthony (April 16, 2021). "Oscar-Winner Peter Ramsey's Life Story Could Be Its Own Movie". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
^ Couch, Aaron (January 16, 2023). "'The Mandalorian' Reveals Season 3 Trailer, New Directors". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
^ Kit, Borys (April 8, 2022). "Peter Ramsey Tapped as a Director of 'Ahsoka', the Latest 'Star Wars' Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
^ "Careers In Film Summit - Biographies". Oscars.org. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
^ Grobar, Matt (January 18, 2017). "Sony's Untitled 'Spider-Man' Animated Film To Feature Miles Morales As Lead Character". Deadline. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
^ McMillan, Graeme (August 9, 2019). "Lion Forge Animation Launches With 'Hair Love' Short". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
^ B. Vary, Adam (April 19, 2021). "'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Sequel Snares New Directing Trio (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
^ Vourlias, Christopher (2021-06-17). "Disney Taps Top African Toon Talents for Animated Anthology 'Kizazi Moto' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-05.
^ "Sony Pictures Animation's Bold Past, Present and Future". 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
^ "2019 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ "46th Annual Annie Awards". annieawards.org. ASIFA-Hollywood. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ "EE British Academy Film Awards Winners in 2019". bafta.org. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. January 9, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ Tapley, Kristopher (January 13, 2019). "'Roma,' 'The Americans' and 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Win Top Critics' Choice Honors". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ "2013 Golden Globe Nominations". goldenglobes.com. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. December 13, 2012. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ "All the Winners of the 76th Golden Globes". goldenglobes.com. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. January 7, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ "2019 Hugo Awards". thehugoawards.org. World Science Fiction Society. August 18, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
^ "Visual Effects Society Announces Nominees for 11th Annual VES Awards" (PDF). visualeffectssociety.com. Visual Effects Society. Retrieved September 12, 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peter Ramsey.

Peter Ramsey at IMDb
Peter A. Ramsey at AllMovie

Films directed by Peter Ramsey

Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009)
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Awards for Peter Ramsey

Academy Award for Best Animated Feature

Shrek - Aron Warner (2001)
Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki (2002)
Finding Nemo - Andrew Stanton (2003)
The Incredibles - Brad Bird (2004)
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Nick Park and Steve Box (2005)
Happy Feet - George Miller (2006)
Ratatouille - Brad Bird (2007)
WALL-E - Andrew Stanton (2008)
Up - Pete Docter (2009)
Toy Story 3 - Lee Unkrich (2010)
Rango - Gore Verbinski (2011)
Brave - Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman (2012)
Frozen - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho (2013)
Big Hero 6 - Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli (2014)
Inside Out - Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera (2015)
Zootopia - Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer (2016)
Coco - Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson (2017)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (2018)
Toy Story 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera (2019)
Soul - Pete Docter and Dana Murray (2020)
Encanto - Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer (2021)
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio - Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley (2022)
The Boy and the Heron - Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki (2023)

Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production

John Lasseter (1996)
Ron Clements and John Musker (1997)
Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook (1998)
Brad Bird (1999)
John Lasseter, Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich (2000)
Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki (2002)
Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich (2003)
Brad Bird (2004)
Nick Park and Steve Box (2005)
Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick (2006)
Brad Bird (2007)
Mark Osborne and John Stevenson (2008)
Pete Docter (2009)
Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (2010)
Jennifer Yuh Nelson (2011)
Rich Moore (2012)
Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (2013)
Dean DeBlois (2014)
Pete Docter (2015)
Byron Howard and Rich Moore (2016)
Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina (2017)
Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman and Peter Ramsey (2018)
Sergio Pablos (2019)
Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart (2020)
Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe (2021)
Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson (2022)
Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson (2023)

v t e Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature
1990s	A Bug's Life – John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton / The Prince of Egypt – Simon Wells, Brenda Chapman, and Steve Hickner (1998) Toy Story 2 – John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, and Ash Brannon (1999)
2000s	Chicken Run – Peter Lord and Nick Park (2000) Shrek – Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson (2001) Spirited Away – Hayao Miyazaki (2002) Finding Nemo – Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich (2003) The Incredibles – Brad Bird (2004) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit – Nick Park and Steve Box (2005) Cars – John Lasseter and Joe Ranft (2006) Ratatouille – Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava (2007) WALL-E – Andrew Stanton (2008) Up – Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (2009)
2010s	Toy Story 3 – Lee Unkrich (2010) Rango – Gore Verbinski (2011) Wreck-It Ralph – Rich Moore (2012) Frozen – Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (2013) The Lego Movie – Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (2014) Inside Out – Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen (2015) Zootopia – Byron Howard and Rich Moore (2016) Coco – Lee Unkrich (2017) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman (2018) Toy Story 4 – Josh Cooley (2019)
2020s	Soul – Pete Docter and Dana Murray (2020) The Mitchells vs. the Machines – Mike Rianda (2021) Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio – Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson (2022) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, and Kemp Powers (2023)
In 2020, the category was transferred to the Critics' Choice Super Awards.