When GARY GOLDMAN met Don Bluth at Walt Disney Studios in 1972, they formed an instant and solid friendship. Soon realizing that they both shared the desire of restoring the heritage of classical animation to today's animated films, their friendship eventually turned into a creative partnership that has lasted over 28 years.
Goldman was born in Oakland, California in 1944 and grew up in Watsonville. As a youth, he studied piano and enjoyed model-making and drawing. Before devoting himself entirely to the arts, he served as an electronics technician in the United States Air Force, serving in Japan and Germany. He received his Associated Arts Degree from Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, California, and in December, 1971, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Life Drawing from the University of Hawaii.
In early 1972, he began his career in animation when he joined Walt Disney Productions. His first assignment was as an In-betweener to Frank Thomas on the film Robin Hood. He then worked alongside Don Bluth as an animator on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too and The Rescuers. He was Directing Animator on Pete's Dragon and The Small One.
Goldman and Bluth began to probe the possibility of creating their own animated projects. United by the same goal of restoring the lost techniques of classical animation, Goldman and Bluth, with animator John Pomeroy produced (in Bluth's garage) the classically animated television special, "Banjo, The Woodpile Cat." This won the National Film Advisory Board Award for Excellence and the Golden Scroll Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. It was completed in 1979. That same year, Goldman, along with Bluth and Pomeroy, resigned from Walt Disney Productions to establish themselves independently.
They have since produced several feature films, starting with The Secret of NIMH, which won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Feature from the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Academy. Their follow-up effort, An American Tail, issued a new era of success for the full-length animated feature, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of its time. The film's theme song, "Somewhere Out There," also received two Grammy Awards and an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Bluth and Goldman also produced the animated laser disc interactive video games "Dragon's Lair" and "Space Ace." "Dragon's Lair" received the Inkpot Award for the First Interactive Laser Disc Arcade Game and an Arkie Award for Best Arcade Audio/Visuals. Today these games remain popular among video enthusiasts.
In 1986, Goldman and Bluth moved their entire operation, including 87 employees and their families to Dublin, Ireland at the invitation of the Irish Government. Their third feature film, The Land Before Time, was their first production created entirely in Ireland. Released by Universal Pictures during the Thanksgiving, 1988 holiday, it achieved a record-breaking opening weekend gross for an animated film. Their subsequent efforts include All Dogs Go to Heaven, Rock-A-Doodle, Thumbelina and A Troll in Central Park.
Goldman currently is Producer/Director with Fox Animation Studios, sharing the creative leadership responsibilities with Producer/Director Don Bluth. Their first feature film produced for Fox, Anastasia, was released in November of 1997. Goldman is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Board of Trustees of the Phoenix Art Museum and a member of the United Way, Alexis de Tocqueville Society.
