Justin Wright 1981-2008
Justin with girlfriend, Ashlee
It was a shock. I read the mail late last night and it kept me up. This morning we gathered in a small screening room as a Story department for the formal announcement before the news goes out to the studio. Justing Wright passed away last night.
Justin was a very enthusiastic person and full of energy. You'd never guess that he had already gone through so much in life.
Justin’s journey to Pixar has another plot twist. He got introduced to the famous studio because of a heart transplant. When Justin was born, his heart had all sorts of complications: cardiomyopathy, a complete block, a hole between the upper two chambers, a hole in the mitral valve —the list goes on. Finally, when Justin was 12, his heart had been through too many surgeries and procedures to be of much use, not to mention that it was the size of a deflated soccer ball inside his slight 70-pound body. It was time for a transplant.
With a lot of time spent in hospital beds recovering, Justin drew pictures (a hobby he says he started as a kid when he got bored in church). His doctor at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children's Hospital noticed Justin’s interest, and one day, after Justin was fully recovered, took him on a tour at Pixar, where he had some connections. Justin was enthralled—this was what he wanted to do.
I didnt get to work alongside Justin and my memories with him are few. I do remember the day we, the Story Supes, met to decide on accepting Justin to the Pixar story crew as a full story person, no longer an intern. We put on long faces to fake him out and Mark Andrews said that it wasn't going to work out but we couldn't really continue with it and we just said, "Welcome to Story!"
He was so happy. He could hardly contain the energy in his lanky body and even promised that he would work hard and prove us right. He didn't really need to say all those things, we knew he had it in him and the months since then proved it all. I wish we had more time with him.
Our sincerest condolences to his family, our thoughts and prayers are with them.
I'll post more details on this post as I receive them.
Justin Wright's blog Charlie, a deck hand
Pacific Union College Alumni: Justin Wright
Remembrance Blog Roll
Think Radical
Ted Mathot
Yarn and Coffee: Justin
Jeff Pidgeon
John Sanford
James Robertson
Bill Cone
Enrico Casarosa
Alex Woo
Nick Sung
Scott Morse
Cartoon Brew
Austin Madison
Kyle Shockley
Kelly Matten
Rainbow Zookeeper
Phil Rynda
Lindsay
The Animation Blog
The Pixar Blog
Update March 24, 2008
A drawing I contributed to honor Justin last Friday when his family came to Pixar to visit with us. There were boards of his drawings, a sequence he did and caricatures of Justin. A Dave Matthews song (Justin was a huge fan) rendered by Plot Device, the Story band. Family, friends and co-workers spoke--Andrew Stanton spoke as well as John Lasseter himself--about the best of what Justin left us--his optimism, disposition to have fun and willingness to engage in all manner of debates (who will win, Superman or a Jedi?). We were his work family and we miss him.
posted by Ronnie at Wednesday, March 19, 2008
11 Comments:
My condolences to Justin's family, friends and his colleagues at Pixar, especially the tight-knit group working in story.
Way too many over the years and, like those, way too young.
11:23 PM
I've just watched his Portfolio. He was a great artist!
1:31 AM
Though I didn't know the guy or anything, when something like this happens at a cheerful place like Pixr, man, it's double depressing...
8:27 AM
I didn't know Justin at all, but from what I've read on a couple of blogs he no doubt sounds like an incredible guy. Thanks for posting his journey to Pixar, that is one amazing story in itself. It's incredibly sad that he left this world at such a young age. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and coworkers.
12:25 PM
I never knew him either , how incredibly sad. The story of the day he got full acceptance at Pixar was very moving. Thank you for sharing that.
8:12 PM
Justin was a dear friend from my childhood. Thanks for doing this. He was a very real and honest person. He knew and loved the lord we will see him agian.
11:31 PM
Justin's career was a blessing to him. I never knew Justin, but as an animation student with a similar illness I can relate. His story has touched my soul. I wish I had the opportunity to talk with him. Blessings to his family and friends.
How grateful he must have been for the opportunity to realize his dreams.
8:05 PM
I felt so sad about this, I didn't know his work until now. So young... may he rest in peace.
12:41 PM
I was there at the funeral, and had grown up alongside Justin as a member of his church and schoolmate for many years. What an incredible life -- by any standards -- and especially despite his lifelong health complications. He will be missed.
10:46 AM
I was Justin's youth pastor from 94-99 in Napa. When I met him he was short and plump and his face was ballooned up from reaction to the anti-rejection meds for his new heart. After he finally got off of them, it was a joy to see him grow tall and slim down. He just blossomed. But his joyful and fun-loving spirit was always there from the first day I met him. On a side note, his mother who taught at our church school, knowing my love for reptiles, gifted me the classroom pet. It was a leopard gecko named Lizzie. Lizzie was lost in the classroom for 5 months. When she was found at the end of the year, she was skin and bones. Mrs. Wright said if I could nurse her back to health, I could keep her. That must have been around '96 or '97. Well, Lizzie is blind in one eye and can't see out of the other so I have to feed her crickets and mealworms by hand, but she's still alive! I often think of the Wright family when I care for Lizzie. My heart aches with them now for their loss, but rejoices with them in the hope of the resurrection when Justin will receive a new body with a perfect heart. Eagerly looking forward to that great day of reunion, NLK
3:20 PM
My condolences to the family. From a Danish storyboardartist.
4:10 PM
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home