Ron Clements
A quiet architect of Disney's animation renaissance, co-directing beloved classics that revived the musical fairy tale for a modern age.
Born 1953 (age 73)·American animation filmmaker·Birthday: April 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ron Clements, alongside his creative partner John Musker, operates like a master craftsman in the workshop of wonder. Joining Disney during a fallow period, he worked as an animator on 'The Fox and the Hound' and co-wrote 'The Great Mouse Detective,' films that kept the studio's tradition alive. Then, with 'The Little Mermaid,' he and Musker struck a chord that resonated globally, blending Broadway-style musicality with classic storytelling to ignite Disney's second golden age. Clements is the narrative anchor, often focusing on character and plot structure while weaving in sly humor and heart. From the street-smart charm of 'Aladdin' to the New Orleans jazz of 'The Princess and the Frog' and the oceanic mythmaking of 'Moana,' his films are united by a respect for the source material and a desire to push the medium's visual boundaries. He works not with fanfare, but with a storyboard artist's precision, building worlds that feel both timeless and thrillingly new.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ron was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ron Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Ron's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-directed and co-wrote 'The Little Mermaid' (1989), widely credited with reviving Disney's feature animation dominance.
- Co-directed the landmark film 'Aladdin' (1992), which introduced computer-generated imagery (the Cave of Wonders) into Disney's hand-drawn process.
- Received Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature for 'The Princess and the Frog' (2009) and 'Moana' (2016).
- Co-directed 'Treasure Planet' (2002), an ambitious and technically innovative sci-fi adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's novel.
Did You Know?
He started at Disney as an inbetweener on 'The Rescuers' (1977).
He and John Musker are known for including a hidden image of the character 'Gurgi' from 'The Black Cauldron' in their films as a good-luck charm.
He was a lead writer on 'The Great Mouse Detective' (1986), a film noted for its critical success during a difficult period for Disney animation.
“Animation is the illusion of life, and our job is to make you believe in that illusion.”
