McKenna Harris
McKenna Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | McKenna Jean Harris Valencia, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | CalArts[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015−present |
| Employers |
|
McKenna Harris is an American film director, screenwriter, storyboard artist, and executive producer. She is best known for her work at Pixar, including directing the short film Ciao Alberto (2021) and the upcoming feature film Toy Story 5 (2026).
Early life
Harris was born in Valencia, California.[1] By 2014, she graduated from CalArts.[1]
Career
In 2015, she began her career as a character designer on the Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears (2015–16).[1] In 2016, she joined Walt Disney Animation Studios as a storyboard artist where she worked on Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Frozen 2 (2019), and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).[2][3] In 2021, she transitioned to Pixar Animation Studios where she served as a storyboard artist on Luca (2021), directed and wrote the short film Ciao Alberto (2021), and executive produced Elemental (2023).[4][5] In August 2024, she was announced to be making her feature directorial debut with Toy Story 5 (2026), alongside Andrew Stanton.[6][7]
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Director | Story Artist | Executive producer |
Notes/Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | No | Yes | No | [2][3] |
| 2019 | Frozen 2 | No | Apprentice | No | |
| 2021 | Raya and the Last Dragon | No | Yes | No | [2][3] |
| Luca | No | Yes | No | [2][3] | |
| 2023 | Elemental | No | No | Yes | [5] |
| 2024 | Inside Out 2 | No | Story Supervisor | No | |
| 2026 | Toy Story 5 | Co-director | No | No | In production[6] |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Other | Notes/Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Twenty Something | No | No | Yes | Story trust |
| Nona | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks | |
| Ciao Alberto | Yes | Yes | No | [4] |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes/Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | We Bare Bears | Character Designer; 41 episodes[1] |
| 2024 | Dream Productions | Pixar Senior Creative Team |
Accolades
| Award | Date | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | December 10, 2022 | Outstanding Short Form Program | Ciao Alberto | Nominated | [8] |
| Outstanding Directing for an Animated Program | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b c d e McDonnell, Chris (August 25, 2015). "Artist of the Day: McKenna Harris". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "McKenna Harris". Mubi. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d writeforanimation (March 5, 2024). "McKenna Harris (@kennnajean) is a story artist who has lent her talents to films such as "Raya and the Last Dragon"🐲 "Ralph Breaks the Internet"🌐 and Pixar's "Luca"🐟 She recently wrote and directed the Pixar short film "Ciao Alberto"🌊. We are excited to see what she creates next! #McKennaHarris #CiaoAlberto #WriteForAnimation". Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Fuster, Jeremy (August 9, 2024). "'Toy Story 5': Andrew Stanton to Write, Direct Pixar Sequel". TheWrap. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Garfinkle, Maddie; Pomarico, Nicole (April 19, 2025). "Toy Story 5: All About the Upcoming Film (and the Unexpected Character It Will Focus On!)". People. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Wilding, Josh (August 10, 2024). "Disney And Pixar Share First Look At Toy Story 5, Incredibles 3, Inside Out Spin-Off, Frozen 3 And More At D23". Comic Book Movie. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ kennnajean (August 10, 2024). "YEEE-HAW! i'm co-directing toy story 5, and we've been having the best time with the best team ever! 🤠⭐️ so happy to be working with Andrew Stanton and my girl @jesschoismyth on this sweet, sweet movie". Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ "2022 CAFE Nominees (ALL) - The Emmys". Emmy Awards. November 1, 2022. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2025.