Philip Johnston (born October 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker and voice actor, best known as one of the writers for the Walt Disney Animation Studios films Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Zootopia (2016) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), the latter of which he directed alongside Rich Moore and received an Academy Award nomination. Description above from the Wikipedia article Phil Johnston, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 26, 1971 (55)
- Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA
- Writer, actor, producer and director
- 8 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
What are Phil Johnston's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 5
Light 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 6
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
Casual 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 7 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 7 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Phil Johnston's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Phil Johnston's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
13 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Zootopia 2(2025)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
The Twits(2025)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Return to Zootopia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Brothers Grimsby(2016)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Zootopia(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Garlan Hulse: Where Potential Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Wreck-It Ralph(2012)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Cedar Rapids(2011)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all filmsBomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
The Land of Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled View-Master Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles, 10 of them dated from 2007 to 2025.
Film career
- 2012Screen debut· Wreck-It Ralph
- 2018Oscar nomination· Ralph Breaks the Internet
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
2 major nominations and no wins, 2012–2019.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best First Screenplay
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Phil Johnston's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 53/100 and the plot and story 46/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Phil Johnston's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Phil Johnston work with?
People who share at least 2 of Phil Johnston's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rich Moore shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Rich MooreShared titles: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Zootopia (2016), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Rich Moore
Writers
- Jim ReardonShared titles: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Zootopia (2016), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Jim Reardon
- Josie TrinidadShared titles: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Zootopia (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Josie Trinidad
- Jennifer LeeShared titles: Zootopia (2016), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jennifer Lee
Actors
- John C. ReillyShared titles: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Cedar Rapids (2011)See all 3 shared titles with John C. Reilly
- Alan TudykShared titles: The Twits (2025), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Alan Tudyk
- Timothy SimonsShared titles: The Twits (2025), Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Timothy Simons
- Jack McBrayerShared titles: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jack McBrayer
Producers
- John LasseterShared titles: Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Zootopia (2016), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 3 shared titles with John Lasseter
- Clark SpencerShared titles: Zootopia (2016), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Clark Spencer
- Monica Lago-KaytisShared titles: Zootopia (2016), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Monica Lago-Kaytis
