Phil Johnston is a filmmaker best known for his work on three of the biggest animated films of the 21st century — as a writer of the Academy Award-winning Zootopia and the Academy Award-nominated Wreck-It Ralph and writer & director of Ralph Breaks the Internet, for which he was also nominated for an Oscar. Johnston got his start in independent film, garnering an Independent Spirit Award nomination for his Cedar Rapids script. His collaboration with Sacha Baron Cohen, Grimsby, received no awards or nominations, but it did have one of the most repulsive scenes in the history of comedy. So, at least there’s that. Johnston is currently writing and directing a yet to be announced limited series at Netflix.

Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Johnston worked as a broadcast journalist, earning three Emmy Awards for his work. He holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.F.A. in film directing from Columbia University. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jill Cordes, their two kids, Fia and Emmett and a dog named Izzy.