Kelly Asbury obit

Kelly Asbury, Director of ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ and ‘Shrek 2,’ Dies at 60

He was not on the list.

Kelly Asbury, an animator who directed Oscar-nominated films such as “Shrek 2” and “Spirit:

Stallion of the Cimarron,” has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday morning in Los Angeles following a long battle with abdominal cancer, a representative for Asbury, Nancy Newhouse Porter, told Variety.

Asbury, who started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, directed five animated feature films during his career: “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which was released in 2002; “Shrek 2″ in 2004, which he co-directed with Conrad Vernon; 2011’s “Gnomeo & Juliet”; 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village”; and his final directorial effort was 2019’s “Ugly Dolls,” which starred Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

His other work includes credits on “The Little Mermaid,” Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Chicken Run,” “Shrek,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen” and “Sherlock Gnomes.”

In addition, the Texas native was also credited as a writer in the 1991 film “Beauty and the Beast” and worked as a story artist on “Toy Story” in 1995 and both “Kung Fu Panda” and “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” in 2008.

“Inside Out” writer Ronnie del Carmen, who worked with Asbury on the “Prince of Egypt,” paid tribute to the animator on Facebook, writing, “So sorry to hear this today. Everyone loved Kelly, it’s impossible to not be charmed by him or feed off of his positive energy. We worked together on ‘Prince of Egypt’ and when I joined Pixar stories of the great “Kell-god” was already legend. I will miss him dearly. Rest In Peace dear friend.”

Filmography

Year       Title       Notes

2019      The Addams Family         Additional Story Artist

UglyDolls             Director

voice of Gibberish Cat, Oliver, Chef, and Buttons

2017      Smurfs: The Lost Village                 Director

voice of Nosey Smurf

2013      Frozen Additional story artist

2012      Wreck-It Ralph Story artist

2011      Gnomeo & Juliet               Director

Story and Screenplay

voice of Red Goon Gnomes

2008      Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa       Additional story artist

Kung Fu Panda

2007      Shrek the Third Voice of Master of Ceremonies and Fiddlesworth

2004      Shrek 2 Director,

additional voices,

(ADR group)

2002      Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron    Co-director

2001      Shrek     Story artist

2000      Chicken Run       Additional story

1998      The Prince of Egypt         Artistic supervisor: story

1996      James and the Giant Peach

1995      Toy Story             Story artist

1993      The Nightmare Before Christmas               Assistant art director

1991      Beauty and the Beast      Story & visual development artist

1990      Roller Coaster Rabbit      Art director

The Rescuers Down Under           Character designer,

storyboard artist,

visual development

1989      The Little Mermaid          Visual development artist

1987      Sport Goofy in Soccermania         Layout artist

1985      The Black Cauldron          Inbetween artist