Jimmy Hayward

At a young age, Hayward began his career at Mainframe Entertainment animating and directing commercials. He was one of the original animators of the television series ReBoot in which he was the first animator to be hired and invited while the studio’s employees working on the series in Granville Island Hotel. He modeled the character Phong in the show.^[2] Throughout his career, he has worked at Pixar Animation Studios, 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, and was an animator for Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo.^[3] He was the sequence director and story consultant for Robots.^[4]

His studio directorial debut, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!^[5] starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, had a worldwide gross of $298.6 million.^[6]

Hayward's first live-action film, Jonah Hex,^[7] was released in June 2010.^[8] It succeeded on several streaming platforms for years.^{[citation needed]}

Hayward was also director and writer on an animated film Free Birds, starring Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson and Amy Poehler, which was released in 2013. The film was a financial success, grossing over $110 million.^[9]

In April 2023, a benefit for Hayward was put together to help pay medical bills in relation to a bone cancer diagnosis.^[10]

While in cancer treatment, Hayward directed projects with world renowned bands like Primus and Tool.^[11] After surviving multiple surgeries and radiation, Hayward was declared cancer free.