In 1978, Rees worked as an animator for the Christmas children's film
The Small One. He also worked on the Disney film
The Fox and the Hound (1981), and the following year served as one of the visual effects supervisors for the cutting-edge science fiction film
Tron. In 1987, Rees and science fiction writer
Thomas M. Disch collaborated on adapting Disch's short story
The Brave Little Toaster into an animated film. The resulting film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the
Sundance Film Festival and nominated for
Outstanding Animated Program at the
1988 Primetime Emmy Awards. He also teamed up with fellow CalArts alum
Tim Burton to co-write and co-direct the cult classic featurettes
Doctor of Doom and
Luau. Rees directed the
Neil Simon-penned
The Marrying Man (1991) and served as an animation producer on the film
Space Jam (1996). In 1993, Rees wrote and produced (with Steven Paul Leiva) a new
Betty Boop feature film for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Seventy-five percent of the film was storyboarded, but two weeks before voice recording was to begin, MGM switched studio chiefs and the project, tentatively called The Betty Boop Feature Script, was abandoned. In addition to his film credits, Rees helped produce and direct a record-setting 13 multimedia features at the various Disney theme parks, including the
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and
Sounds Dangerous! at
Disney–MGM Studios,
Cranium Command and
O Canada! at
Epcot,
Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter at
Magic Kingdom, the ride preshow film of
Dinosaur at
Disney's Animal Kingdom,
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney–MGM Studios and
Walt Disney Studios Park,
CinéMagique at Walt Disney Studios Park, and
Mystic Manor at
Hong Kong Disneyland. Rees also directed the
Tourist from Hell,
The Editing Story, and
Michael & Mickey short films, as well as the
Back to Neverland short film starring
Robin Williams and
Walter Cronkite which were all screened as part of the backstage tour at Disney–MGM Studios. For some time, Rees was attached as director to a project called
Rand Robinson, Robot Repairman, financed by
Interscope and
Philips. The film was set in a futuristic
Los Angeles, and Philips expected to use the film to showcase their emerging technology. Rees storyboarded various scenes in the film, but eventually several key players left the project, and it was shelved. In 2010, Rees and actress and writer
Deanna Oliver made an appearance at
California State University, Northridge to discuss the making of their film
The Brave Little Toaster. Currently, Rees is a full-time creative consultant at the
San Francisco film studio
Wild Brain, where he is developing CGI features. Rees is also attached to direct a
Casey Silver Productions CGI feature. == Filmography ==