Glenn McQueen


Glenn John McQueen was a Canadian supervisor of digital animation and supervising character animator at Pixar and PDI.

Personal life

McQueen graduated from Sheridan College in 1985. He was sent by Sheridan on a scholarship to the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Lab, where he worked as head of the 3-D production department, which made film effects, TV commercials and scientific visuals.
In 1994 he moved to Pixar Animation Studios, where he supervised the animation on Pixar's early successes, including Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc..
McQueen also served as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood. He and his wife, Terry, had a daughter.

Death

On October 29, 2002, McQueen died from melanoma in Berkeley, California, at the age of 41. His death occurred during the production of Finding Nemo, which is dedicated to him. His former colleagues also paid homage by naming the main character and Piston Cup Champion in the film Cars "Lightning McQueen".

Legacy

McQueen has admirers all over the world for his work, and has been hailed as one of the best animators in the field. Pixar co-founder John Lasseter called McQueen "a great animator, a great friend and a fantastic family man" and "the heart and soul of our animation department", and also said that "Glenn is not gone from us. He’s still alive in all of us."
Pixar Animation Studios had plans underway to open a new studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which would be named the Glenn McQueen Pixar Animation Center to honor McQueen. It was planned to be around and be located in the downtown area of Vancouver. The studio focused on producing short films and TV episodes based on Pixar characters. Job qualifications were released in 2009 and the studio opened in spring 2010, producing many shorts including Small Fry and Partysaurus Rex.
In October 2013, the studio was closed down in order to re-focus Pixar's efforts at its main headquarters.

Filmography

Director