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Brian Pimental
Brian Pimental
Brian Pimental
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Brian Pimental is an American veteran storyboard artist, director and screenwriter of animated films. He is best known for directing Bambi II (2006).

Key Information

Biography

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Having started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation as a trainee on Oliver & Company (1988), he went on to become a story artist on Beauty and the Beast (1991),[1] for which he created the "Be Our Guest" sequence as well as the "Human Again" sequence, the latter of which was featured in both the Broadway play and the extended version of the film. He was also a story artist on Aladdin (1992).

He went on to become one of the screenwriters on A Goofy Movie (1995). He was also the Head of Story and earned his first ASIFA Award nomination for storyboarding on this film. His second nomination was for the film Tarzan (1999), for which he once again headed up the story team as Head of Story.

His directorial debut came on Bambi II (2006), which went on to win the ASIFA award for best non-theatrical feature. He also created the voices for the Porcupine and Groundhog in the film.

A native of Massachusetts, Pimental earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the California Institute of the Arts.[2]

He is currently working independently as director/writer.

References

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Brian Pimental

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Brian Pimental is an American storyboard artist, director, and screenwriter known for his influential work in feature animation, particularly during Disney's Renaissance era and for directing the animated sequel Bambi II. After graduating from Fairhaven High School in Massachusetts and earning a degree from the California Institute of the Arts, Pimental joined Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he began as an animator on Oliver and Company and The Little Mermaid before specializing in story. He contributed as a story artist to Beauty and the Beast, creating key sequences including "Be Our Guest," and to Aladdin. He later served as head of story and co-screenwriter on A Goofy Movie and as head of story on Tarzan, receiving ASIFA nominations for his storyboarding. Pimental made his directorial debut with Bambi II (2006), which he conceived, co-wrote, and voiced supporting characters for; the film earned an ASIFA award for best non-theatrical feature. He has continued his career as a writer, director, and head of story on various animated projects, including contributions to the live-action Aladdin (2019). In recognition of his lifelong achievements in animation, he was inducted into the Fairhaven High School Hall of Fame in 2017.

Early life and education

Early life and education

Brian Pimental was born on April 13, 1964, in Massachusetts, USA. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). CalArts provided him with professional animation training that facilitated his entry into the industry.

Career

Early career in animation

Brian Pimental began his career in animation with entry-level technical roles in traditional hand-drawn animation during the mid-to-late 1980s. He worked as a character clean-up inbetweener on An American Tail (1986), refining character drawings and creating intermediate frames to support smooth motion. Pimental earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts, which provided foundational training for his work in animation. He then joined Walt Disney Feature Animation as a trainee, serving as a breakdown and inbetween artist on Oliver & Company (1988), where he handled detailed frame-by-frame work to bridge key poses and maintain animation consistency. He continued in a similar capacity as a breakdown and inbetween artist on The Little Mermaid (1989), contributing to the technical execution of character movements in the studio's traditional animation pipeline. These early positions focused on the mechanical and precise aspects of cel animation, including clean-up, breakdown, and inbetweening, which built essential technical skills and familiarity with professional workflows in feature animation.

Disney Renaissance contributions

Brian Pimental contributed to the visual storytelling of several landmark films during the Disney Renaissance as a story artist and story leader. As a story artist on Beauty and the Beast (1991), he created the iconic "Be Our Guest" sequence, in which Lumière and the enchanted objects perform a lavish musical number to welcome Belle. He also developed the "Human Again" sequence, which showed the castle's servants yearning to regain their humanity; this material was later adapted for the Broadway stage production and restored in the film's extended home-video edition. These sequences exemplified his skill in crafting expressive, character-driven musical moments that advanced both plot and emotional depth. He subsequently served as a story artist on Aladdin (1992), where he helped shape the film's dynamic narrative and visual sequences. Pimental later took on a leadership role as head of story on Tarzan (1999), guiding the story team in developing the film's adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' tale through innovative visual storytelling and key sequence design. His work across these productions focused on sequence creation and narrative visualization that helped define the era's animated prestige features.

Screenwriting and story leadership

Pimental expanded his contributions to Disney animated films through screenwriting and story leadership roles, building on his early experience as a story artist during the Disney Renaissance. His most prominent screenwriting and leadership role came with A Goofy Movie (1995), where he co-wrote the screenplay and served as story supervisor, guiding the story team in crafting the film's character-driven plot and father-son relationship arc. This project marked a significant step in his career, showcasing his ability to integrate script contributions with oversight of overall narrative structure. Pimental later provided additional story material for Brother Bear (2003) and Home on the Range (2004), supporting the refinement of their respective narratives and thematic elements. He received a "story by" credit on Bambi II (2006), reflecting his direct involvement in shaping the sequel's original plot and character dynamics.

Directing and voice work

Pimental made his directorial debut with the animated midquel Bambi II (2006), which he helmed for Disneytoon Studios as a direct-to-video release. He also shared a story by credit on the project with Jeanne Rosenberg. In addition to his behind-the-camera role, Pimental provided the voice performances for the minor characters Groundhog and Porcupine in the film. Bambi II stands as Pimental's most prominent directing effort, with his other work in that capacity remaining limited. He later served as co-director on the animated direct-to-video film Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze (2016). His voice acting credits are similarly confined to his contributions in Bambi II.

Later freelance and independent career

Following his directorial work on Bambi II (2006), Brian Pimental shifted to independent contributions across various animation studios, primarily as a storyboard artist and story specialist on feature films. He provided storyboard work for the live-action/animation hybrid Enchanted (2007) and served as a story artist on DreamWorks' Shrek the Third (2007). In subsequent years, Pimental continued freelancing with additional story artist credits on Rio (2011), storyboard roles on Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2013) and Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014), story artist contributions to The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and storyboard work on Disney's live-action Aladdin (2019). His background in story leadership supported these roles, building on earlier experience to assist in shaping narrative sequences for major animated and hybrid productions. More recently, he worked as a pre-production story artist on Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) and took on a leadership position as head of story while providing additional dialogue for the Netflix/Skydance Animation feature Spellbound (2024). As a veteran animator, Pimental has continued to focus on story development in independent capacities across diverse projects.

Recognition

Awards and nominations

Brian Pimental has received recognition from ASIFA-Hollywood through the Annie Awards for his work in animation, particularly in storyboarding and directing. He earned his first ASIFA Award nomination for storyboarding on A Goofy Movie (1995). He received a second ASIFA Award nomination for storyboarding on Tarzan (1999). Pimental won the ASIFA Award for Best Non-Theatrical Feature (also presented as Best Animated Home Entertainment Production) for directing Bambi II (2006). IMDb lists a total of six nominations for Pimental, though the full breakdown extends beyond the noted ASIFA recognitions.
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