Phil Johnston (filmmaker)
American filmmaker and voice actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philip Johnston (born October 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker and voice actor, best known as one of the writers for the Walt Disney Animation Studios films Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016)[1] and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), the latter of which he directed alongside Rich Moore and received an Academy Award nomination.
Columbia University (MFA)
- Screenwriter
- film director
- film producer
- voice actor
Phil Johnston | |
|---|---|
Johnston in 2018 | |
| Born | October 26, 1971 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | University of Wisconsin-Madison (BA) Columbia University (MFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Employer(s) | Walt Disney Animation Studios (2012–2020) Netflix (2022–present) |
| Spouse | Jill Cordes |
Early life and career
Johnston was born in Minneapolis to Beverly & William Johnston.[2] He was raised in Neenah, Wisconsin.[3][4] His father was an Episcopal priest.[4] When he was young, he received an annual pass that allowed him free entry into the Marcus Theatres, a Wisconsin-based theater chain, through a connection at his father's church.[4] Johnston is a graduate of Neenah High School.[2]
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1994 with a degree in journalism.[5] After graduation he worked in regional news television for nine years.[3] His first job was as a weatherman in Rochester, Minnesota despite knowing nothing about meteorology.[6][3] He then worked as a bureau reporter at the Omaha, Nebraska, ABC affiliate, KETV.[7] Afterwards, he transferred to KARE station in Minneapolis.[8][4]
Johnston graduated with a MFA in film from Columbia University School of the Arts' Film Program in 2004.[9] He was classmates with Jennifer Lee, whom he later brought on to co-write Wreck-It Ralph with.[10]
His short, Flightless Birds, about a community of five trying to save their town was shot in South Dakota.[11]
After graduation, Johnston sold his first work to ABC.[12] The half hour comedy, Life is Super, is about a woman who adopts several children and subsequently turning her experience into a podcast.[12]
Johnston optioned his first feature script to ThinkFilm before it went bankrupt.[3] Jeremy Orm Is a Pervert is about the intersection of a preacher's career and his son's pornography business.[3] This was loosely based on his side hustle back in middle school selling pornographic magazines he acquired from upperclassmen to his classmates.[6] He managed to buy a pair of Air Jordans with the profits before eventually getting the operation shut down by his parents.[6]
His script for Cedar Rapids (2011) was included in the 2009 Black List (survey), a list voted by members of the entertainment industry for favorite, unproduced screenplays.[13]
Personal life
Johnston met his wife, Jill Cordes, while working as a reporter at KETV, Nebraska, where she was a morning anchor.[14]
While attending Columbia, he lived in Brooklyn with his wife, Jill. He was neighbors with film critic Christy Lemire.
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Other | Voice Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Night Listener | No | No | No | Yes | Assistant to Patrick Stettner | |
| 2007 | Savage Grace | No | No | No | Yes | Researcher | |
| 2010 | Ghosts/Aliens | No | Yes | Executive | No | Television Film | |
| 2011 | Cedar Rapids | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2012 | Wreck-It Ralph | No | Yes | No | Yes | Surge Protector | |
| 2014 | A Merry Friggin' Christmas | No | Yes | No | No | Credited as "Michael Brown" | |
| 2016 | Zootopia | No | Yes | No | Yes | Gideon Grey, Annoyed Citizen | |
| 2017 | The Brothers Grimsby | No | Yes | Executive | No | ||
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Surge Protector | Song Lyrics: "A Place Called Slaughter Race", "In This Place", Creative Leadership |
| 2025 | The Twits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mr. Napkin | [15] |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Film Editor | Other | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | A Thousand Words | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 2005 | Two Men | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| Rupture | No | No | No | No | Yes | Chet Rimson (Radio Announcer) | ||
| Flightless Birds | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| 2007 | Bomb | No | No | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2013 | Garlan Hulse: Where Potential Lives | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Garlan Hulse | |
| 2024 | Dust Monster | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Moana | Creative Leadership |
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | |
| 2019 | Frozen II | |
| 2020 | Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Special Thanks |
| 2022 | The Sea Beast | |
| 2025 | Zootopia 2 |