Chris Buck is a film director known for directing Tarzan and Surf's Up. He also worked as supervising animator on Home on the Range and Chicken Little. Buck's other credits at Disney include the 1995 animated feature Pocahontas, where he oversaw the animation of three central characters: Percy, Grandmother Willow and Wiggins. Buck also helped design characters for the 1989 animated blockbuster The Little Mermaid, performed experimental animation for The Rescuers Down Under and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and was an animator on The Fox and the Hound. Buck helped develop several films at Hyperion Pictures and served as a directing animator on the feature Bebe's Kids. He storyboarded director Tim Burton's live-action featurette Frankenweenie and worked with Burton again as directing animator on the Brad Bird-directed "Family Dog" episode of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories and as director of the subsequent primetime animated series. Buck's credits include a number of animated commercials (including some with the Keebler Elves) for such Los Angeles-based production entities as FilmFair, Kurtz & Friends, and Duck Soup. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Buck studied character animation for two years at CalArts, where he also taught from 1988–1993.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 24, 1958 (68)
- Wichita, Kansas, USA
- Writer, director and actor
- 21 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
Known for
What are Chris Buck's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 7 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 0 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4
Gentle 2 · Charged 6 · Intense 0
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
Casual 6 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Chris Buck's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (17).
- Once Upon a Studio (2023) · thanks
- The Little Mermaid (1989) · character designer
- Tarzan (1999) · director
- Frozen (2013) · director, writer
- The Fox and the Hound (1981) · animation
- Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical (2025) · writer
- The Brave Little Toaster (1987) · character designer
- Once Upon a Snowman (2020) · creative consultant
- Frozen II (2019) · director, writer
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990) · visual development
- Frozen Fever (2015) · director, writer
- Pocahontas (1995) · writer
- +5 more
Subscription and free streaming for Chris Buck's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
29 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Citizen Nation(2024)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Wish(2023)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Once Upon a Studio(2023)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Once Upon a Snowman(2020)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Frozen II(2019)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Olaf's Frozen Adventure(2017)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Surf's Up 2: WaveMania(2016)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Frozen Fever(2015)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Frozen(2013)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Not Your Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Surf's Up(2007)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Home on the Range(2004)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Tarzan(1999)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Pocahontas(1995)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Family Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
A Woman's Point of View During Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
The Rescuers Down Under(1990)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Next Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Palm Springs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
The Little Mermaid(1989)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Oliver & Company(1988)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Winter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
The Brave Little Toaster(1987)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Sport Goofy in Soccermania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Amazing Stories(1985)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
The Black Cauldron(1985)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Fox and the Hound(1981)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Doctor of Doom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Career shape
A full career of 28 titles from 1979 to 2024.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
an Oscar and 2 BAFTA Awards from 6 major nominations, 2008–2020.
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Animated Featured Film
- Oscar, won · Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
- BAFTA Award, won · BAFTA Kids Vote - Feature Film
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Animated Film
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Feature Film
- Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Chris Buck's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 44/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Chris Buck's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Chris Buck work with?
People who share at least 2 of Chris Buck's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jennifer Lee shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Jennifer LeeShared titles: Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical (2025), Wish (2023), Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 6 shared titles with Jennifer Lee
Writers
- Marc SmithShared titles: Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Marc Smith
- Hans Christian AndersenShared titles: Frozen II (2019), Frozen (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Hans Christian Andersen
- Don DoughertyShared titles: Tarzan (1999), Pocahontas (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Don Dougherty
- Ed GombertShared titles: Tarzan (1999), Pocahontas (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Ed Gombert
Actors
- Jonathan GroffShared titles: Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 4 shared titles with Jonathan Groff
- Josh GadShared titles: Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 4 shared titles with Josh Gad
- Kristen BellShared titles: Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 4 shared titles with Kristen Bell
- Idina MenzelShared titles: Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Idina Menzel
Composers and editors
- Jeff DraheimShared titles: Wish (2023), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 4 shared titles with Jeff Draheim
- Christophe BeckShared titles: Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 3 shared titles with Christophe Beck
Producers
- Peter Del VechoShared titles: Wish (2023), Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019), Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 5 shared titles with Peter Del Vecho
- Aimee ScribnerShared titles: Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Aimee Scribner
- John LasseterShared titles: Frozen Fever (2015), Frozen (2013)See all 2 shared titles with John Lasseter
Mixed roles
- Don HallShared titles: Wish (2023), Tarzan (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Don Hall
- Kristen Anderson-LopezShared titles: Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Kristen Anderson-Lopez
- Robert LopezShared titles: Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 (2020), Frozen II (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Lopez
- Stephen J. AndersonShared titles: Frozen (2013), Tarzan (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Stephen J. Anderson
