James Baxter

Birth : 1967-01-01, Bristol - England - UK

History

British character animator. He was first known for his work on several Walt Disney Animation Studios films, including various characters in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Rafiki in The Lion King, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. After Notre Dame, Baxter moved over to DreamWorks Animation, where he worked on films such as The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Shrek 2 and Madagascar. Early in 2005, Baxter left DreamWorks and set out on his own as an independent animator. He became the head of his own studio, James Baxter Animation, in Pasadena, California, where he has directed the animation for the 2007 film Enchanted and the opening credits to Kung Fu Panda, for which he received an Annie Award. As of the summer of 2008, James Baxter Animation has closed and Baxter has returned once again to DreamWorks Animation as a supervising animator. Baxter has also worked on Tummy Trouble, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods. In May 2013, Baxter was a guest animator for an episode of Adventure Time entitled "James Baxter the Horse".The episode's story focused on the lead characters trying to emulate a horse who can cheer everyone up by neighing his name (James Baxter) and balancing on a beach ball. Both the horse's animation (which is visually distinct from the other characters) and voice were provided by Baxter. The episode's title card features a drawing of the horse drawing a horse on a beach ball, while sitting at an animation table. -Wikipedia

Movies

Once Upon a Studio
Animation
Created for Disney's 100th anniversary, the short sees Mickey Mouse corralling a gallery of legendary Disney characters for a group photo.
The Sea Beast
Thanks
In an era when terrifying beasts roamed the seas, monster hunters were celebrated heroes. None were more beloved than the great Jacob Holland. But when young Maisie Brumble stows away on his fabled ship, he's saddled with an unexpected ally. Together they embark on an epic journey into uncharted waters and make history.
Cat Burglar
Thanks
In this edgy, over-the-top, interactive trivia toon, answer correctly to help Rowdy the Cat evade Peanut the Security Pup to steal some prized paintings.
Wolfwalkers
Animation
In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when she saves a wild native girl, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
Mary Poppins Returns: Behind the Magic
Himself
Viewers are given an inside look at the making of "Mary Poppins Returns," with interviews with stars Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Tyrus: The Tyrus Wong Story
Associate Producer
The unlikely story of 106-year old Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, and how he overcame poverty and racism in America to become a celebrated modernist painter, Hollywood sketch artist, and “Disney Legend” for his groundbreaking work on the classic animated film, Bambi.
Tyrus: The Tyrus Wong Story
Thanks
The unlikely story of 106-year old Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, and how he overcame poverty and racism in America to become a celebrated modernist painter, Hollywood sketch artist, and “Disney Legend” for his groundbreaking work on the classic animated film, Bambi.
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water
Animation Director
Burger Beard is a pirate who is in search of the final page of a magical book that makes any evil plan he writes in it come true, which happens to be the Krabby Patty secret formula. When the entire city of Bikini Bottom is put in danger, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, and Plankton need to go on a quest that takes them to the surface. In order to get back the recipe and save their city, the gang must retrieve the book and transform themselves into superheroes.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Animation Supervisor
Five years have passed since Hiccup and Toothless united the dragons and Vikings of Berk. Now, they spend their time charting unmapped territories. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons -- and a mysterious dragon rider who turns out to be Hiccup's mother, Valka. Hiccup and Toothless then find themselves at the center of a battle to protect Berk from a power-hungry warrior named Drago.
Adam and Dog
Animation
The story about the dog of Eden. What happened in those first days of Creation that made Man and Dog so inseparable? The dog, as he lives through this curious world, encounters a strange creature; a human being named Adam - and with that discovers a new found connection to the world.
Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind the Making of Beauty and the Beast
An interactive, feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary teeming with worthwhile bonus content all its own.
How to Train Your Dragon
Animation
As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.
Waking Sleeping Beauty
Self (archive footage)
By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - "Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast ," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and more - over a 10-year period.
Monsters vs Aliens
Animation
When Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches. The military jumps into action and captures Susan, secreting her away to a covert government compound. She is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters...
Kung Fu Panda
Animation Director
When the Valley of Peace is threatened, lazy Po the panda discovers his destiny as the "chosen one" and trains to become a kung fu hero, but transforming the unsleek slacker into a brave warrior won't be easy. It's up to Master Shifu and the Furious Five -- Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey -- to give it a try.
Enchanted
Animation Supervisor
The beautiful princess Giselle is banished by an evil queen from her magical, musical animated land and finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that doesn't operate on a "happily ever after" basis, Giselle is now adrift in a chaotic world badly in need of enchantment. But when Giselle begins to fall in love with a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer who has come to her aid - even though she is already promised to a perfect fairy tale prince back home - she has to wonder: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?
Curious George
Animation Supervisor
When The Man in the Yellow Hat befriends Curious George in the jungle, they set off on a non-stop, fun-filled journey through the wonders of the big city toward the warmth of true friendship.
Madagascar
Animation Supervisor
Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends—Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo—have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape—with the help of some prodigious penguins—to explore the world.
Far Far Away Idol
Supervising Animator
Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots, and the rest of the Far Far Away Kingdom battle it out in a singing competition.
Shrek 2
Supervising Animator
Shrek, Fiona and Donkey set off to Far, Far Away to meet Fiona's mother and father. But not everyone is happy. Shrek and the King find it hard to get along, and there's tension in the marriage. The fairy godmother discovers that Shrek has married Fiona instead of her Son Prince Charming and sets about destroying their marriage.
Shrek 2
Animation Supervisor
Shrek, Fiona and Donkey set off to Far, Far Away to meet Fiona's mother and father. But not everyone is happy. Shrek and the King find it hard to get along, and there's tension in the marriage. The fairy godmother discovers that Shrek has married Fiona instead of her Son Prince Charming and sets about destroying their marriage.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Supervising Animator
The sailor of legend is framed by the goddess Eris for the theft of the Book of Peace, and must travel to her realm at the end of the world to retrieve it and save the life of his childhood friend Prince Proteus.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Animation Supervisor
As a wild stallion travels across the frontiers of the Old West, he befriends a young human and finds true love with a mare.
The Road to El Dorado
Animation Supervisor
After a failed swindle, two con-men end up with a map to El Dorado, the fabled "city of gold," and an unintended trip to the New World. Much to their surprise, the map does lead the pair to the mythical city, where the startled inhabitants promptly begin to worship them as gods. The only question is, do they take the worshipful natives for all they're worth, or is there a bit more to El Dorado than riches?
The Prince of Egypt
Animation
This is the extraordinary tale of two brothers named Moses and Ramses, one born of royal blood, and one an orphan with a secret past. Growing up the best of friends, they share a strong bond of free-spirited youth and good-natured rivalry. But the truth will ultimately set them at odds, as one becomes the ruler of the most powerful empire on earth, and the other the chosen leader of his people! Their final confrontation will forever change their lives and the world.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Animation Supervisor
At the urging of his gargoyle pals, Quasimodo leaves Notre Dame tower against the wishes of his guardian, the evil Judge Claude Frollo. He ventures out to the Festival of Fools and finds his first true friend, a Romani woman named Esmeralda, who entrusts him with a secret. When the secret is revealed, Quasi soon finds himself fighting to save the people and city he loves.
The Lion King
Animation Supervisor
A young lion prince is cast out of his pride by his cruel uncle, who claims he killed his father. While the uncle rules with an iron paw, the prince grows up beyond the Savannah, living by a philosophy: No worries for the rest of your days. But when his past comes to haunt him, the young prince must decide his fate: Will he remain an outcast or face his demons and become what he needs to be?
Beauty and the Beast
Animation Supervisor
Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all -- that true beauty comes from within.
The Rescuers Down Under
Animation
A lawless poacher wants to capture a majestic and rare golden eagle, so he kidnaps the boy who knows where to find the bird. Not to worry -- the Rescue Aid Society's top agents, heroic mice Miss Bianca and Bernard, fly to Australia to save the day. Accompanying the fearless duo are bumbling albatross Wilbur and local field operative Jake the Kangaroo Rat.
DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp
Animation
With his nephews and niece, everyone's favorite rich uncle, Scrooge McDuck, treks from his mansion home in Duckburg in search of the long-lost loot of the thief Collie Baba. But finding the goods isn't quite what it's "quacked" up to be! Their thrilling adventure leads to comical chaos, magical mayhem, and a lesson about what is far more valuable than money, gold and jewels.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Animation
'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.