Joseph Ranft was an American writer, voice actor, animator, storyboard artist and magician. He worked for Disney and Pixar. He worked on The Lion King, The Brave Little Toaster, Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters, Inc and Finding Nemo. He voiced in the many films he worked on, notably as Heimlich the Caterpillar from A Bug's Life and the outtakes of Toy Story 2. He passed away in August 2005.
Before the crash, he and the driver were on their way to the Mosaic
Multicultural Foundation, a spiritual conference where successful
businessmen mentor men who are trying to straighten out their lives.
Death occurred when he was a passenger in a car that veered off the
road and plunged 130 feet into the Pacific Ocean. The driver was also
killed, and another passenger was hospitalized with moderate injuries.
Studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts and began
working as a story artist at Walt Disney Studios in 1980. Also provided
animated voices on occasion.