Matthew Luhn

Matthew Luhn
Luhn in 2017
NationalityAmerican
Alma materAcademy of Art University (BFA)
Occupations
  • Storyboard artist
  • animator
  • author
  • creative writing instructor
Years active1992–present
SpouseValerie LaPointe
Children2
Writing career
Genre
  • Cartoon drawing
  • children's literature
  • screenwriting
Years active2009–present
Website
matthewluhnstory.com

Matthew Luhn is an American storyboard artist, animator, and writer for Pixar and The Simpsons. He is also known for serving as a creative writing instructor and keynote speaker.[1]

Career

Luhn attended the character animation program at the California Institute of the Arts. In 1993, he directed his student film Starship Spacehustle, and was offered his first animation job. He dropped out of CalArts, and at the age 19, he was the youngest animator hired to work on The Simpsons. His work includes the episodes: "Kamp Krusty" (1992), "Lisa's Pony" (1992), "Homer Alone" (1992), "Colonel Homer" (1992), "Homer Defined" (1992), and "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" (1992).[2]

Shortly thereafter, Luhn joined Pixar Animation Studios, becoming one of the first 12 animators on the studio's feature film, Toy Story (1995).[3] He stated, "I loved working on Toy Story, but the part that really interested me was the big picture – the story part ... But I wasn't able to make the transition over from animator to storyteller easily."[3] Luhn was told that he was not experienced enough to become a storyboard artist. He left Pixar to gain experience as a freelance storyboard artist and copywriter for several commercial studios. After a year, he sent his storyboard portfolio to Pixar, and he was rehired as a storyboard artist for Toy Story 2 (1999).[3]

Outside his career as a story artist and animator, Luhn is also a keynote speaker who has trained chief executive officers, marketing teams, directors and other professionals how to craft and tell stories for Fortune 500 companies.[3][4][5][6] Matthew also gave a TEDx Talk at the University of California, Santa Barbara.[7][8]

Personal life

Luhn is married to Valerie LaPointe, and he has two daughters.[9][10]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Story
Artist 		Animator Notes
1995 Casper No Additional
animator: ILM
Toy Story No Additional
1999 Toy Story 2 Yes No
2001 Monsters, Inc. Yes No
2003 Finding Nemo Additional No
2006 Cars Yes No Uncredited
2007 Ratatouille Yes No
2009 Up Yes No
2010 Toy Story 3 Yes No
2013 Monsters University Yes No
2019 Toy Story 4 Yes No Uncredited
2020 Onward Yes No Uncredited

Shorts

Year Title Director Writer Story
Artist 		Animator Notes
1993 Starship Spacehustle Yes Yes No Yes Student film
2013 Toy Story of Terror! No No Yes No
2014 Toy Story That Time Forgot No No Yes No
2017 Lou No No Yes No
2021 Sprite Fright Yes Yes No No

Books

  • How to Draw Cartoon Animation. General Pencil Company. 2009. ISBN 978-0-982-36710-0.
  • How to Draw Cartoon Pets: Learn to Draw Your Favorite Pets Step-by-Step. General Pencil Company. 2012. ISBN 978-0-982-36714-8.
  • The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond. Morgan James Publishing. 2018. ISBN 978-1-642-79065-8.
  • Santa Yeti. Kane/Miller. 2023. ISBN 978-1-684-64603-6.[11]

References

  1. ^ Shing, David (July 6, 2016). "Cannes 2016 Shingerview: Matthew Luhn, Story Veteran, Pixar". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Baylor Evnen Build Your Character Program on Communications Featuring Pixar's Matthew Luhn". University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Parachuk, Tanya (March 23, 2017). "Beyond Pixar: Matthew Luhn Shares Storytelling Principles Everyone Can Use". Voices.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Courtenay, Adam. "Using a good story to make connections". Intheblack Magazine. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  5. ^ "DTS 2017: The Art of Storytelling with Matthew Luhn". RTÉ.ie. February 15, 2017. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Weeklong Business Program Explores 'Create Your Own Story'". California State University, Fullerton. February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  7. ^ "TEDx UCSB Dazzles with TAs, Pixar Writer". The Bottom Line. February 6, 2017. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  8. ^ Hertz, Todd (January 25, 2013). "What's Your Story? with Matthew Luhn of Pixar". Patch.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Sidersky, Robyn (August 4, 2019). "She used to doodle sketches of Disney's Ariel. Now this Virginia Beach native is working for Pixar". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Weinstein, Dina (March 29, 2021). "Art & Animation: A conversation with VCU grad, Pixar director Valerie LaPointe". Virginia Commonwealth University. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  11. ^ "Santa Yeti: A fun, refreshing read in a field of well-worn holiday classics". Kirkus Reviews (Book review). August 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.