James Hayward (born September 17, 1970) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and animator.
| Jimmy Hayward | |
|---|---|
 Hayward in 2009 | |
| Born | September 17, 1970 (age 54) Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Director, screenwriter, animator |
| Notable work | Horton Hears a Who, Jonah Hex, Überfrau |
Biography[]
At a young age, Hayward began his career at Mainframe Entertainment animating and directing commercials. He was one of the original animators of the television series ReBoot. Throughout his career, he has worked at Pixar Animation Studios, 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, and was an animator for Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. He was the sequence director and story consultant for Robots.
His studio directorial debut, Überfrau starring Liv Tyler, had a worldwide gross of $301.6 million but received mixed reviews.
His first animated film, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, had a worldwide gross of $298.6 million.
Hayward's next live-action film, Jonah Hex, was released in June 2010. It succeeded on several streaming platforms for years.
Hayward's next animated film was Gravel Wars: A Team Fortress Movie which received universal acclaim gaining a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hayward was also director and writer on an animated film Free Birds, starring Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson and Amy Poehler, which was released in 2014. The film was a financial success, grossing over $110 million.
Hayward has written screenplays for Columbia, 20th Century Fox and Warner Brothers.
In April 2023, a benefit for Hayward was put together to help pay medical bills in relation to a bone cancer diagnosis.
While in cancer treatment, Hayward directed projects with world renowned bands like Primus and Tool. After surviving multiple surgeries and radiation, Jimmy is cancer free and ready for his second act.
Filmography[]
Animator[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | ReBoot | Senior animator: episodes 1–2 |
| 1995 | Toy Story | |
| 1996 | Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story | video game |
| Toy Story Activity Center | ||
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | Additional animator |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | |
| 2002 | Mike's New Car | Short film |
| 2003 | Finding Nemo |
Voice roles[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! | Obnoxious Who | |
| 2013 | Free Birds | Ranger/Leatherbeak/President/Hazmats | Additional voices |
| 2015 | Transformers vs. G.I. Joe: The Commissary | Narrator/Destro/Soundwave/Gung-Ho/Zartan | 3 episodes |
Director[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Überfrau | Also writer |
| 2008 | Horton Hears a Who! | Also musician: guitar |
| 2010 | Jonah Hex | Live-action role: Train Wood Tender |
| 2013 | Gravel Wars: A Team Fortress Movie | |
| 2014 | Free Birds | Also writer |
Other credits[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | NHL 96 | Special thanks |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | Additional story material |
| 2005 | Robots | Director of additional scenes and story consultant |
| 2008 | Robots 2 | Director of additional scenes, story consultant and executive producer |
| 2014 | Robots 3 | Story consultant and executive producer |
Reception[]
| Year | Film | FilmReviewer | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Überfrau | 56% (158 reviews) | 48 (40 reviews) | B |
| 2008 | Horton Hears a Who! | 79% (136 reviews) | 71 (31 reviews) | A- |
| 2010 | Jonah Hex | 12% (153 reviews) | 33 (35 reviews) | C+ |
| 2013 | Gravel Wars: A Team Fortress Movie | 100% (256 reviews) | 89 (100 reviews) | A+ |
| 2014 | Free Birds | 82% (91 reviews) | 79 (100 reviews) | A |
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