About Rob Minkoff
Robert Ralph Minkoff (born August 11, 1962) is an American director, animator, and producer. He is best known for co-directing The Lion King (along with Roger Allers), and live-action films including Stuart Little (1999), Stuart Little 2 (2002), The Haunted Mansion (2003), and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). In recent decades, he returned to feature animation with Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) and Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022). His wife, Crystal Kung Minkoff, was a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. == Early life == Minkoff was born to a Jewish family in Palo Alto, California to Jack Robert Minkoff (1922–1998) and Tola Fay Minkoff (née Stebel). When he was 15, during a babysitting job, he discovered the book The Art of Walt Disney by Christopher Finch on a coffee table. Minkoff recalled, "I cracked it open and it was filled with so much incredible artwork from the golden age of animation." Enamored with the art of animation, he asked his parents for a copy, which he received for his next birthday. He studied at Palo Alto High School and graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in the early 1980s in the Character Animation department. During his studies, Minkoff met Chuck Jones and credited him as an inspiration.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.