RIP Rob Gibbs

The Hollywood Reporter

By Mike Barnes

4/28/2020

He spent more than 20 years with the company, working on films from 'Toy Story 2' to 'Onward.'

Rob Gibbs, a story artist, writer and director who contributed to many Pixar films, from Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo to Up, Wall-E, Inside Out and Onward, has died, a company spokesman confirmed. He was 55.

A cause of death was not immediately available.

Gibbs' credits also included the short film Tokyo Mater (2008) and the series Mater's Tall Tales and Tales From Radiator Springs, all emanating from the Cars franchise; Brave (2012); Monsters University (2013) and the upcoming Monsters at Work series for Disney+; and Incredibles 2 (2018).

Gibbs, a resident of San Rafael, California, was co-directing and in preproduction on Hump, featuring the voices of Simon Pegg, Gaten Matarazzo, Ramy Youssef and others, at the time of his death.

Born in Escondido, California, Gibbs was inspired by Looney Tunes and Popeye cartoons as a kid. He said he began to appreciate short films after attending a Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation in La Jolla, California.

Gibbs attended Palomar College and CalArts and did animation for FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992) and Cool World (1992) before spending five years in story and visual development at Walt Disney Feature Animation, working on Pocahontas (1995), The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue (1998) and Fantasia 2000 (1999).

He joined Pixar in February 1998 and served as a storyboard artist on Toy Story 2 (1999).

Survivors include his daughter Mary, the voice of Boo in several Monsters, Inc. projects.

GIBBS, Rob

Born: 10/17/1964, Escondido, California, U.S.A.

Died: 4/24/2020, San Rafael, California, U.S.A.

Rob Gibb’s westerns – writer: 
Pocahontas - 1995