Josh Cooley

{{Short description|American filmmaker (born 1979)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}

{{distinguish|Joshua Colley|Josh Coley}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Josh Cooley

| image = Josh Cooley by Gage Skidmore.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Cooley in 2024

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|5|23}}{{cite tweet |last=Cooley |first=Josh |author-link=Josh Cooley |user=CooleyUrFaceOff

|number=1131680379906142208 |date=May 23, 2019 |title=Frank, I never told you that I was turned by my vampire master 400 years ago. I am immortal, birthdays mean nothing to me. But I accept your human congratulatory message. |access-date=July 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715073645/https://twitter.com/CooleyUrFaceOff/status/1131680379906142208?s=20 |archive-date=July 15, 2019 |url-status=live}}

| birth_place = Berkeley, California, U.S.

| occupation = {{flatlist|

• Film director
• screenwriter
• storyboard artist
• voice actor

}}

| years_active = 2003–present

| employer = {{Plainlist|

• Pixar Animation Studios (2003–2020)
• Paramount Animation (2020–present)

}}

| awards = Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 4 (2019)

}}

Joshua Cooley (born May 23, 1979) is an American filmmaker and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing the animated films Toy Story 4 (2019) and Transformers One (2024), with the former winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the film Inside Out (2015), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

== Career ==

Cooley was recruited by Joe Ranft at Pixar, where he started his career as an intern,{{cite web|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2019/05/01/twenty-four-years-and-beyond-pixar-artists-who-worked-on-every-toy-story-film/|title=Twenty-Four Years and Beyond: Pixar Artists Who Worked on Every "Toy Story" Film|date=May 1, 2019|access-date=May 19, 2019|archive-date=June 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627170610/https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2019/05/01/twenty-four-years-and-beyond-pixar-artists-who-worked-on-every-toy-story-film/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Phil|title=Inside Pixar And Out With Josh Cooley|url=http://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/interviews/inside-pixar-and-out-with-josh-cooley/|access-date=December 10, 2015|work=cgmagonline.com|date=June 17, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211171558/http://www.cgmagonline.com/articles/interviews/inside-pixar-and-out-with-josh-cooley/|url-status=live}} mostly working as a storyboard artist on films including The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), Up (2009), and Cars 2 (2011).{{cite news|last1=Murphy|first1=Robert|title=Josh Cooley gives an in-depth look at Pixar's creative process|url=http://siliconprairienews.com/2010/10/josh-cooley-gives-an-in-depth-look-at-pixar-s-creative-process/|access-date=December 10, 2015|work=siliconprairienews.com|date=October 6, 2010|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211105316/http://siliconprairienews.com/2010/10/josh-cooley-gives-an-in-depth-look-at-pixar-s-creative-process/|url-status=live}} In 2009, Cooley wrote and directed a short film George & A.J. for Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures.

Cooley worked as a screenwriter and storyboard supervisor on the film Inside Out (2015), which was released to financial success with audiences.{{Cite magazine |last=Coggan |first=Devan |date=June 21, 2015 |title=Box office report: Inside Out scores biggest original debut ever with $91 million |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/21/box-office-report-inside-out |access-date=April 17, 2025 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} Cooley received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his work on the film, alongside Pete Docter (the film's director), Ronnie Del Carmen (co-director), and Meg LeFauve.{{cite news|last1=McFarland|first1=K.M.|title=4 Things Riley's First Date? Reveals About Pixar|url=https://www.wired.com/2015/10/4-things-rileys-first-date-reveals-about-pixar/|access-date=December 10, 2015|work=wired.com|date=October 16, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211095136/http://www.wired.com/2015/10/4-things-rileys-first-date-reveals-about-pixar/|url-status=live}} The same year, he wrote and directed another short film titled Riley's First Date?{{cite web|title=Riley's First Date? Is a Sublime Follow-Up to Inside Out|url=http://blogs.disney.com/insider/2015/08/15/rileys-first-date-is-a-sublime-follow-up-to-inside-out/|access-date=December 10, 2015|work=disney.com|archive-date=December 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209133011/http://blogs.disney.com/insider/2015/08/15/rileys-first-date-is-a-sublime-follow-up-to-inside-out/|url-status=live}}

Following completion of Cooley's work on Inside Out in 2015, he was tapped by John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton to co-direct Toy Story 4. In 2016, Cooley replaced Lasseter as the film's director.{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=November 12, 2019 |title=Toy Story 4 Director Josh Cooley On Playing With Rules Of Beloved Franchise's World & Giving Woody The Perfect Send-Off |url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-pixar-walt-disney-studios-interview-news-1202783504/ |access-date=April 17, 2025 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} Toy Story 4 was Cooley's directorial debut. Upon release, the film received critical acclaim, and Cooley took home his first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbr.com/d23-expo-pixar-walt-disney-animation-studios-upcoming-films/|title=D23 Expo: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Upcoming Films|date=July 14, 2017|access-date=April 20, 2018|archive-date=July 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715150607/http://www.cbr.com/d23-expo-pixar-walt-disney-animation-studios-upcoming-films/|url-status=live}} Cooley left Pixar in March 2020.

In 2024, Cooley directed the animated Transformers film, titled Transformers One, for Paramount Pictures.{{cite news|last1=Fleming|first1=Mike Jr.|title=Animated 'Transformers' Prequel Activated; 'Toy Story 4's Josh Cooley To Direct For Hasbro/eOne & Paramount|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/transformers-animated-movie-paramount-hasbro-toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-1202921100/|access-date=April 29, 2020|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=April 29, 2020|archive-date=April 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430004146/https://deadline.com/2020/04/transformers-animated-movie-paramount-hasbro-toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-1202921100/|url-status=live}} The film is set on the Transformers home planet of Cybertron and focuses on the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron.

On May 19, 2020, it was reported that Cooley will write and direct a live-action adaptation of the children's book Malamander by Thomas Taylor for Sony Pictures,{{cite news|last1=Kit|first1=Borys|title='Toy Story 4' Director Josh Cooley to Tackle 'Malamander' for Sony Pictures (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-tackle-malamander-1295018|date=May 19, 2020|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617012457/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-tackle-malamander-1295018|url-status=live}} marking his first live-action film. In addition, on July 10, 2020, it was announced that Cooley would be the writer and director of the film Little Monsters, starring Universal Monsters characters, for Universal Pictures.{{cite news|last1=Kit|first1=Borys|title='Toy Story 4' Director Josh Cooley Tackling 'Little Monsters' for Universal (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-tackling-little-monsters-movie-1302832|date=July 10, 2020|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=November 12, 2020|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715143759/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/toy-story-4-director-josh-cooley-tackling-little-monsters-movie-1302832|url-status=live}} On June 23, 2021, Cooley was set to write a film based on the Disney Parks attraction Tower of Terror, with Scarlett Johansson starring and producing the project, after previously working together on Transformers One.{{Cite web |last=Sneider |first=Jeff |date=2021-06-23 |title=Exclusive: Scarlett Johansson to Produce and Star in 'Tower of Terror' Movie for Disney |url=https://collider.com/scarlett-johansson-tower-of-terror-movie-disney/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=Collider |language=en-US}}