Brian Pimental — Animator, Story Artist and Film Director

Early career and story work

Pimental began his studio career as a trainee on Oliver & Company while working at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He advanced into story artist roles on several high-profile Disney features, helping to shape sequences and character moments in productions such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Story artists at that time typically developed beats, visual staging and continuity that support directors, and Pimental’s credits place him within the story teams that contributed to Disney’s animated renaissance era.

Writing and screen credits

Moving between visual storytelling and screenplay work, Pimental is credited as one of the writers on A Goofy Movie. His work on story and script development led to industry recognition in the form of ASIFA nominations for projects on which he contributed, and he continued to participate in story departments for later features such as Tarzan.

Directorial work: Bambi II

Pimental’s most widely known directorial credit is the 2006 continuation of a classic, Bambi II. Produced as a non-theatrical release, the film was part of a period when studios produced sequels and mid-level releases outside the theatrical window. Pimental led the production and also provided additional voice performances for small animal characters in the film, demonstrating the frequent crossover of artists into incidental voice work in animation production.

Awards and reception

Bambi II received a mixed-to-positive reception from reviewers and audiences; review aggregation sites record modest approval for the film and it has an entry on review websites such as Rotten Tomatoes. Within the animation community, Pimental’s direction for the title earned recognition from ASIFA, including a win for best non-theatrical feature, alongside earlier nomination(s) for his story and writing contributions.

Education and background

Pimental was born in Massachusetts and trained at the California Institute of the Arts, a school that has educated many animators of his generation. Biographical summaries and professional profiles provide overviews of his career and credits; for more general background consult a biographical overview or a professional profile that lists credits and positions.

Style and contributions

As an artist who moved from trainee to story artist and then to director, Pimental exemplifies a common career progression in feature animation. His work emphasizes clear visual storytelling, character-driven scenes and the collaborative process of sequence development. Colleagues and contemporaries often note that story artists who become directors bring a strong sense of pacing and staging to their productions.

Selected credits

• Oliver & Company — trainee (early career)
• Beauty and the Beast — story artist
• Aladdin — story artist
• A Goofy Movie — screenwriter
• Tarzan — story department contributor
• Bambi II — director and additional voice work

Pimental’s career is representative of many creative professionals in American feature animation: formal art training, studio apprenticeship, advancement into story and writing roles, and finally leadership on a production. For further reading and to confirm credits, consult studio press material and archival credit listings via industry databases and profiles (overview, profile).