Nathan Greno (born March 22, 1975) is an American film director, story artist, and writer best known as the co-director of Walt Disney Animation Studios' film, Tangled (2010).

Nathan Greno
Born (1975-03-22) March 22, 1975 (age 49)[1][2]
Alma materColumbus College of Art and Design
Occupation(s)Director, story artist, writer
Employers
Notable workTangled

Inspired by Disney films since the first grade, Greno started as a young boy writing and drawing comic books and strips.[2] In 1996, during his junior year at Columbus College of Art and Design, he was hired by Walt Disney Feature Animation.[2] He started there as an animation clean-up artist on Mulan (1998).[2] Being creatively unfulfilled, he switched to story development.[2] He then contributed as a story artist on Brother Bear (2003), wrote a screenplay and worked as a story artist on Meet the Robinsons (2007), and supervised the story on Bolt (2008).[2] With the short film Super Rhino (2009), he made his directorial debut.[2] In 2006, he took over a long-in-development project Tangled, based on the fairy tale Rapunzel and chose Byron Howard, with whom he had collaborated on Bolt and Super Rhino, as a directing partner.[3] The film was released in 2010 to a great critical and financial reception, and was followed in 2012 by Greno and Howard-directed short film Tangled Ever After.

Greno had most recently been directing an animated film titled Gigantic. Loosely based on the fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, it was scheduled for a 2020 release. However, in October 2017, it was announced that the film had been shelved.[4][5] In February 2018, it was announced that Greno had signed a multi-year contract with Skydance Media to write and direct an animated film titled Pookoo, as well as consult on projects in development.[6]

Filmography

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Films

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Year Film Credited as
Director Writer Head of
Story
Creative
Advisor
Story
Artist
Other Voice Notes
1998 Mulan No No No No No Yes Breakdown Animator: Mushu
2003 Brother Bear No Story No No No No
2005 Chicken Little No No No No Additional No
2007 Meet the Robinsons No Screenplay No No Yes Yes Lefty
2008 Bolt No No Yes No No Yes Additional Voices
2009 The Princess and the Frog No No No No No No Disney Story Trust - uncredited
[7]
2010 Tangled Yes No No No No Yes Guard 1/Thug 1
2011 Winnie the Pooh No No No No No No
2012 Wreck-It Ralph No No No No No No
2013 Frozen No No No No Additional No
2014 Big Hero 6 No No No Yes No Yes Creative Leadership
2016 Zootopia No No No No No Yes
Moana No No No No No Yes
2025 Pookoo Yes Yes No No No No [8]

Shorts and TV specials

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Year Title Director Writer Story
Artist
Other Voice
2000 John Henry No No Yes No
2009 Super Rhino Yes Yes No No
Prep & Landing No No No Yes Dasher
2012 Tangled Ever After Yes Yes No Yes Guard/Maximus/Stabbington Brothers
2021 Blush No No Yes No

Cancelled feature film projects

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Cancelled Year of Release Title Director
2016,[9] 2018,[10] 2020[11] Gigantic Yes

References

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  1. ^ Happenings, April 7, 2011
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Grossberg, Michael (September 16, 2012). "Hollywood studios brimming with talent honed in Columbus". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  3. ^ Desowitz, Bill (November 19, 2010). "Nathan Greno & Byron Howard Talk 'Tangled'". Animation World Network. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  4. ^ Khatchatourian, Maane (August 14, 2015). "Disney Announces Jack and the Beanstalk Animated Movie 'Gigantic'". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  5. ^ Kit, Borys (October 10, 2017). "Disney Shelves 'Jack and the Beanstalk' Film 'Gigantic' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  6. ^ Busch, Anita (February 22, 2018). "Skydance Media Taps 'Tangled's Nathan Greno In Multiyear Deal, Will Direct 'Powerless'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  7. ^ Goldman, Eric (February 18, 2016). "How Disney's Story Trust Helped Change Big Hero 6, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and More". IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. ^ "Netflix Sets Skydance Animation In Multi-Year Deal, First Up Is Alan Menken Musical 'Spellbound;' Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem Star". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023. That will be followed by Pookoo in 2025.
  9. ^ Hunter, Honor (September 10, 2013). "Giant Steps..." Blue Sky Disney. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. ^ Holmes, Adam (October 3, 2016). "Disney's Jack And The Beanstalk Movie Just Hired Someone Over From Pixar". Cinemablend. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  11. ^ Sciretta, Peter (October 10, 2017). "'Gigantic' Canceled By Disney Animation". /Film. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
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