Ron Clements Bio
Ronald Francis Clements (born April 25, 1953) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter, and film producer best known for his long creative partnership with fellow director John Musker. Over a career that began in 1972, Clements helped shape a defining era of Walt Disney Animation Studios, writing and directing some of the studio’s most celebrated animated features. His filmography includes The Great Mouse Detective (1986), The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), Hercules (1997), Treasure Planet (2002), The Princess and the Frog (2009), and Moana (2016). After stepping back from feature directing, Clements returned to Disney in 2025 in an advisory role.
Early Life and Background
Ronald Francis Clements was born on April 25, 1953, in Sioux City, Iowa. He is the son of Gertrude Clements, née Gereau, and Joseph Clements. Raised in the same Iowa city where he was born, Clements grew up surrounded by the rhythms of small-town Midwestern life, which included early exposure to live performance and the arts.
One of his first jobs connected to the arts was working alongside the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre, an experience that helped sharpen his appreciation for music and storytelling. He graduated from Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in Sioux City, completing his formal education before moving west to begin his professional career. Those early years in Iowa gave Clements a strong sense of craft and a clear sense of direction toward animation.
Path to Director
Clements began his professional career as an animator at Hanna-Barbera, the studio known for Saturday morning cartoons. After only a few months there, his growing talent caught the attention of Disney’s Talent Development Program, an in-house workshop that trained new animators. He was accepted into the program and soon found himself on a path toward the Walt Disney Animation Studios he would help define for decades.
Following the training program, Clements served a two-year apprenticeship with legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas, a supervising animator on classics like Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), and The Aristocats (1970). His early Disney credits included character animation duties on The Rescuers (1977) and Pete’s Dragon (1977), before he became supervising animator on The Fox and the Hound (1981). It was during this period that he met John Musker, who worked as a character animator under him. The two men later teamed up as story artists on The Black Cauldron (1985), setting the stage for one of the most enduring directorial partnerships in modern animation.
Ron Clements Career
Early Career (1972–1985)
Clements’ career took root in the early 1970s with his first industry job at Hanna-Barbera in 1972. After moving to Disney through the Talent Development Program, he cut his teeth as a character animator and supervising animator on several important features. His apprenticeship under Frank Thomas gave him a strong technical and artistic foundation that would influence his directorial style for years to come.
In 1981, Clements reached a major career milestone when he was named supervising animator on The Fox and the Hound. He and Musker then collaborated as story artists on The Black Cauldron (1985), where they were ultimately removed from the project. That setback opened the door for the duo to begin pitching original ideas, and in 1982 Clements proposed adapting Eve Titus’s children’s book series Basil of Baker Street. The pitch eventually became his directorial debut.
Breakthrough (1986–1992)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986) marked Clements’ first feature as a director, with Roy E. Disney stepping in to shepherd the project through a shortened production schedule. The film gave Clements and Musker the chance to prove themselves as directors and storytellers, and the experience led directly to their most ambitious work yet.
The Little Mermaid (1989) became the breakthrough of Clements’ career. Clements discovered Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid in a bookstore and wrote a two-page treatment that he presented at a Disney “gong show” idea session. Although the concept was initially rejected, studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg asked Clements to expand it the next morning, and production moved forward. The film was released in November 1989, earned a domestic gross of $84 million and a worldwide total of $184.2 million, and was widely praised for reviving Disney animation. Clements and Musker followed this triumph with Aladdin (1992), releasing the film in November to strong reviews. Aladdin became the first animated film to gross over $200 million domestically, cementing Clements’ reputation as a leading Disney director.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beyond The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, Clements co-directed and co-wrote Hercules (1997), Treasure Planet (2002), The Princess and the Frog (2009), and Moana (2016). The Princess and the Frog earned $267 million worldwide and marked a celebrated return to traditional hand-drawn animation for the studio. Clements’ short film Shades of Sherlock Holmes was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012, an honor recognizing his contribution to the art of animation. In 2017, Clements and Musker received the Art Directors Guild William Cameron Menzies Award, honoring their long-standing creative partnership.
Ron Clements Award Nominations
Ron Clements has received three Academy Award nominations across his career, all shared with longtime directing partner John Musker. The first came in 2003 for Best Animated Feature for Treasure Planet, while the second and third came at the 2017 ceremony for Moana, which earned nominations for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go.” These nominations reflect the consistent critical respect earned by Clements’ feature work at Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Ron Clements Awards Won
While Clements has been nominated for major industry awards, his most prominent honor has come from the Art Directors Guild. In 2017, alongside John Musker, he received the William Cameron Menzies Award, recognizing their distinguished contributions to the art of motion pictures and their enduring influence on the visual language of animated filmmaking.
Ron Clements Family
Clements was born to Joseph Clements and Gertrude Clements, née Gereau, who raised him in Sioux City, Iowa. The family supported his early interest in the arts, including his work with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre during his high school years.
Personal Life
Clements married Tamara Lee Glumace on February 25, 1989. The couple has been together since that time, and Clements has built much of his adult life and career in California while remaining closely tied to his Disney collaborators. In June 2025, at the Annecy Film Festival, it was announced that Clements had come out of retirement to return to Walt Disney Animation Studios in an advisory role.