We value Rich Moore’s animation when its jokes are sharp and its characters still earn our affection. His television work gives us the strongest reason to recommend him; his features build detailed worlds around that interest in character.
Fi1m perspective
In the sharpest stretches of The Simpsons (1989), somebody makes a fool of themselves and remains worth caring about. We laughed, then felt fond of the people being mocked, because the programme keeps its tenderness even when the jokes are merciless. Rich Moore was one of its original three directors, making 17 episodes between 1990 and 1993. Those episodes helped establish its early visual and comic style. We value that contribution to a programme whose humour can be so unforgiving without making affection seem foolish.
Moore went on to supervise The Critic (1994–1995) and the first four seasons of Futurama (1999), also directing episodes of the latter. Shaping the visual style of animated television was a substantial part of this stretch of his career. The recurring interest is character-driven comedy, with feeling given room alongside the jokes. We would not hurry past that television work on the way to the features: it deserves consideration in its own right.
His feature directorial debut, Wreck-It Ralph (2012), builds a detailed video-game world whose rules support both the story and the visual gags. We like that practicality: inventing a place is more useful when its rules give the characters something to do. Zootopia (2016), which he co-directed, takes that interest in world-building into an animal society, combining ensemble comedy with social themes. Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) continues the video-game premise. The connection with his television work is clear enough, though an elaborate setting alone is never a reason to care about the people inside it.
His collaborators include co-director Byron Howard and writer and co-director Phil Johnston, and we would be careful about handing Moore sole credit for work made with others. Equally, directing and shaping these animated worlds is a contribution worth recognising without pretending he invented every joke. Our strongest enthusiasm remains for the sharp humour and tenderness of The Simpsons, rather than for detailed fictional worlds as an attraction in themselves. Start with his early episodes, but do not take that as an obligation to watch the whole programme.
Biography
Rich Moore is an American animation director, screenwriter and producer. He studied at the California Institute of the Arts, graduating with a BFA in 1987. He was one of the original directors on the animated series The Simpsons, directing 17 episodes between 1990 and 1993.
Moore later served as supervising director on The Critic and Futurama. He directed the Walt Disney Animation Studios features Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), and co-directed Zootopia (2016). He has received Emmy Awards, Annie Awards and an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
