Nathan Greno, a creative genius, was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the picturesque shores of Lake Michigan. As a child, he developed a passion for drawing, which eventually transformed into a love for visual storytelling. Inspired by comic books and newspaper comic strips, he spent hours filling notebooks with sketches, creating his own characters, worlds, and storylines.
Greno's frequent trips to the local movie theater sparked his desire to work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He made it a point to watch all of Disney's classic animated films on the big screen, and by the age of 8, he was determined to join the Disney family.
As he grew older, Greno devoted himself to mastering the art of animation. He continued to create his own characters, crudely animating them in his school textbooks. In 1989, a family trip to Walt Disney World gave him a firsthand look at animators at work, further solidifying his determination to pursue a career at Disney.
Greno attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio, before his portfolio was accepted by Walt Disney Animation Studios in Florida in 1996. He began his career as a clean-up animation artist on "Mulan," but soon became fascinated with the storyboarding process.
In 1998, Greno joined the story department, where he worked on short films and feature-length movies, including "John Henry" and "Brother Bear." He relocated to California in 2003, taking on various roles, such as screenwriter, story artist, and voice actor on "Meet the Robinsons."
Greno's big break came when he was promoted to head of story on "Bolt," overseeing the story crew and their sequences while also storyboarding. He made his directorial debut with the short film "Super Rhino," which was featured on the "Bolt" Blu-Ray/DVD.
Greno's directorial debut feature film was the 2010 hit "Tangled," which he co-directed with Byron Howard. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning praise from John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
In 2012, Greno and Howard reunited for "Tangled Ever After," a short film and continuation of the "Tangled" story. Since then, Greno has contributed to Walt Disney Animation Studios' two Academy Award-winning feature-length films, as an additional story artist on "Frozen" and a creative advisor for "Big Hero 6."
Greno currently resides in Los Feliz, California, with his fiancée Colie, just down the street from Walt Disney's old house. His all-time favorite film is "Dumbo."
