Phil Johnston | |
---|---|
Born |
Minneapolis,
Minnesota, U.S. | October 26, 1971
Education |
University of Wisconsin-Madison (
BA) Columbia University ( MFA) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2004–present |
Spouse | Jill Cordes |
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.
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]
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. [4] He was neighbors with film critic Christy Lemire. [4]
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 | No |
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 |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2016 | Moana | Creative Leadership |
2019 | Frozen II | |
2020 | Borat Subsequent Moviefilm | Special Thanks |
2022 | The Sea Beast |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | WorldFest Houston | Independent Student Film & Videos - Graduate Level Student Productions | A Thousand Words | Won | |
2012 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Screenplay | Cedar Rapids | Nominated | |
2013 | Annie Awards | Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Wreck-It Ralph | Won | |
2017 | Annie Awards | Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Zootopia | Won | [15] |
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America | Ray Bradbury Award | Zootopia | Nominated | ||
2018 | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |
Detroit Film Critics Society | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Animated Feature Film | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Animated Feature Film | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
Critics' Choice Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
Annie Awards | Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |||
Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | |||
Satellite Awards | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated | ||
Academy Awards | Best Animated Feature | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Nominated |