Biography of Barry Cook

Barry Cook is an American film director primarily known for working on animated features. After working as an animator on films such as Tron, Heidi's Song, The Black Cauldron, The Little Mermaid, and as a visual effects supervisor for films such as Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, Cook began directing his own films, such as Mulan, Arthur Christmas, and Walking with Dinosaurs.

Cook was born in Nashville, Tennessee and took an early interest in film, making his first at the age of 10. After working as an intern and assistant at Hanna-Barbera, an animation studio, he transitioned to working on films. Perhaps his best-known film is Mulan, which came out in 1998, and which he directed alongside Tony Bancroft.

Following Mulan, Cook took a five-month sabbatical, before developing an idea he had had for years, a feature called The Ghost & His Gift, based on The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde. After years of development, production on the film was halted, and Cook moved on to Aardman Animations in 2009, where he co-directed Arthur Christmas.