Benjamin âÂÂBenâ Gluck is an American Head of Story and animation director known for his work on major animated features including 9 (Focus Features), Disney's Bambi 2, and the Peanuts holiday specials Snoopy Presents: To Mom (and Dad), With Love and Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne for Apple TV+. He also directed Disney's Brother Bear 2 and Alpha and Omega (Lionsgate).
Benjamin "Ben" Gluck was born in St. Louis, Missouri. As a teenager, he showed his art portfolio to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston during their book tour for Bambi: The Story and the Film. They encouraged him to apply to California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). After being accepted, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Character Animation from CalArts. His second-year student film Man's Best Friend was awarded the Walter Lantz Animation Prize at the CalArts Producers Show, where he thanked Thomas and Johnston personally. The film later premiered on MTV's network and screened theatrically as part of the Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation.
Upon graduating from CalArts, Gluck joined Walt Disney Feature Animation, contributing to multiple theatrical films and later serving as Head of Story and Director on studio releases, including Bambi II, Piglet's Big Movie, and the Annie Award-winning Brother Bear II.
After Disney, Gluck pursued opportunities to tell new kinds of stories in animation, becoming Head of Story on the Tim Burton-produced 9 for Focus Features.
In 2010, Gluck co-directed Alpha and Omega, by Lionsgate Family Entertainment, contributing to the launch of a family animation franchise. During this period he also developed feature film projects with producers including George Lucas and Charles Roven.
Gluck later played a key role in revitalizing the Peanuts franchise, serving as senior story creative and Head of Story for ' (2021), the first new Peanuts holiday special in eighteen years, and '. The latter was noted for breaking new ground with its inclusion of LGBTQ families and was the first in the franchise to receive a Humanitas Prize nomination. Both specials were produced for Apple TV+ and marked a new chapter in the expansion of Peanuts programming.