James Baxter (animator)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DreamWorks Animation (1996–2006, 2008–2018)
Cartoon Network Studios (2013, 2017, 2019, 2025)
Netflix (2017–present)
James Baxter | |
|---|---|
 James Baxter c. 2023 | |
| Education | West Surrey College of Art and Design |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Employer(s) | Walt Disney Animation Studios (1987–1997; 2023) DreamWorks Animation (1996–2006, 2008–2018) Cartoon Network Studios (2013, 2017, 2019, 2025) Netflix (2017–present) |
James Baxter is a British character animator. He attended the West Surrey College of Art and Design[1] before working for Walt Disney Animation Studios, including various characters in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Rafiki in The Lion King, and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
After The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Baxter moved over to DreamWorks Animation working 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 DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda. In 2008, Baxter closed his studio and returned to DreamWorks as a supervising animator. While at DreamWorks, Baxter worked on films including Monsters vs. Aliens, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Croods. In 2017, Baxter left DreamWorks once again and went to work for Netflix.
| Year | Title | Credits | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | Animator[1] | |
| 1989 | Tummy Trouble (Short) | Animator | |
| The Little Mermaid | Character Animator | Ariel | |
| 1990 | DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp | Character Animator | |
| The Rescuers Down Under | Character Animator | Joanna, Rescue Aid Society Mice, Insects, Wilbur | |
| 1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Supervising Animator[1] | Belle |
| 1993 | The Making of "The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Video documentary) | Additional Animator | |
| 1994 | The Lion King | Supervising Animator[1] | Rafiki |
| 1996 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Character Designer/Visual Development / Supervising Animator | Quasimodo |
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt | Animator | Moses |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Senior Supervising Animator | Tulio |
| 2002 | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | Senior Supervising Animator | Spirit |
| 2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | Supervising Animator | Sinbad |
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Supervising Animator[1] | |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Additional Supervising Animator | |
| 2006 | Curious George | Animation Supervisor: James Baxter Animation | |
| 2007 | Enchanted | Animation Supervisor: James Baxter Animation | |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | Animation Director: Dream Sequence, James Baxter Animation | |
| Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five (Video short) | Special Thanks | ||
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Animator | |
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Animator[1] | |
| Kung Fu Panda Holiday (TV Short) | Animator | ||
| 2011 | Adam and Dog | Animator | |
| 2012 | Gravity Falls (TV Series) | Additional Animator – 2 Episodes | |
| Rise of the Guardians | Concept Artists – Uncredited | ||
| 2013 | The Croods | Head of Character Animation and Animator: 2D Sequence | |
| Adventure Time (TV Series) | Voice / Animator – 2 Episodes and Character Designer – 1 Episode | James Baxter the Horse | |
| 2014 | How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Supervising Animator | Valka |
| 2016 | Trolls | Additional Animation | |
| 2017 | Regular Show (TV Series) | Additional Animator – 1 Episode | |
| Samurai Jack (TV Series) | Additional Animation - 1 Episode | ||
| 2018 | Mary Poppins Returns | Animator | |
| 2019 | Steven Universe (TV Series) | Additional Animation - 1 Episode[2][3] | |
| Klaus | Animator[4] | ||
| 2020 | Close Enough | Main Title Animation[5] | |
| Wolfwalkers | Animator | ||
| 2021 | Vivo | 2D Development | |
| Centaurworld | Animator - Uncredited | ||
| 2023 | Once Upon a Studio | Animator[6] | |
| 2025 | The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball | Animator[7] |
Awards and honors
Baxter received an Annie Award for character animation on Kung Fu Panda at the 36th Annie Awards in 2009.[8]
In 2018, Baxter, along with fellow animators Stephen Hillenburg (months before his death), Amanda Forbis, and Wendy Tilby won the Winsor McCay Award at the 2018 Annie Awards.[9]
