Jared Bush
American filmmaker (born 1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jared Bush (born June 12, 1974) is an American filmmaker serving as the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2024.[1] He is best known for co-writing and co-directing the company's animated films Zootopia (2016), its sequel Zootopia 2 (2025), and Encanto (2021), the latter of which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He also wrote the screenplays for Moana (2016), its sequel Moana 2 (2024), and its upcoming 2026 live-action remake. He also co-created and executive produced the Disney XD animated series Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2014–17).[2][3]
- Screenwriter
- director
- producer
Jared Bush | |
|---|---|
Bush in 2025 | |
| Born | June 12, 1974 Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University (AB) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Employer | Walt Disney Animation Studios (2014–present) |
| Spouse | Pamela McDonald |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Encanto (2021) |
Early life and education
Bush was born and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He attended Harvard University, where he was president of Harvard-Radcliffe Television.[4] He graduated from Harvard with a degree in English and American literature.[5][6]
Career
Bush was originally hired by Walt Disney Animation Studios on a "provisional eight-week contract".[7] He joined the Zootopia project early on, before it evolved from a spy film into a police procedural; he was excited to work on a spy film because both his father and grandfather had worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.[8] Several months after joining Disney, he had to personally pitch Zootopia to Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger. He later went to co-write the screenplay and co-direct the film. He returned to write the screenplay for Zootopia 2, the sequel to Zootopia, which he also directed alongside one of the first film's directors Byron Howard.[7] He also wrote the screenplays for another Disney animated films Moana and its sequel Moana 2.[7]
Bush co-created the animated television series Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero.[9] In November 2018, Bush originally developed the Star Wars series Andor, writing a pilot script and series bible for the project, before being replaced by Tony Gilroy.[10] In 2021, Bush directed another Disney animated film Encanto about a Colombian magical family alongside Howard with Charise Castro Smith as co-director.[11] Bush also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Castro Smith. He won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Encanto.[12]
On September 19, 2024, Disney Animation announced that chief creative officer Jennifer Lee was stepping down from that position to direct and write Frozen 3 and to write and executive produce Frozen 4.[1] Bush was named as her successor.[1]
Personal life
Bush is married to Pamela McDonald. The two met while students at Harvard. They have three sons.[5]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive Producer |
Other | Voice | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | What Lies Beneath | No | No | No | Yes | Assistant: Mr. Rapke | |
| 2014 | Big Hero 6 | No | No | No | Yes | Creative Leadership | |
| 2016 | Zootopia | Co-Director | Yes | No | Yes | Pronk Oryx-Antlerson | |
| Moana | No | Screenplay | No | Yes | |||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Frozen 2 | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | No | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| Encanto | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | |||
| 2022 | Strange World | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2023 | Wish | No | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2024 | Moana 2 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2025 | Zootopia 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Jürgen Ziegenkäse/Pronk | |
| 2026 | Moana | No | Screenplay | No | No | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Creator | Producer | Writer | Story Editor |
Composer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | DAG | No | No | Assistant | No | No |
| 2002 | Baby Bob | No | Co-Producer | Staff | No | No |
| 2003 | Totally Outrageous Behavior | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Dumber and Dumber | No | No | Yes | No | No | |
| 2003–04 | Who Wants to Marry My Dad? | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| 2003–07 | All of Us | No | Co-Producer | Yes | Executive | No |
| 2014–17 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Yes | Executive | Yes | No | Yes |
Short films
| Year | Title | Executive Producer |
Other | Voice | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Zootopia+ | Yes | Yes | Pronk | Disney+ Original short films |
