#14: Tab Murphy: Screenwriter, Producer & Director (PART 1)

Screenwriter, producer, and director Tab Murphy joins me as a special guest on Episode #14 of my podcast series REED'S CONVERSATIONS: WRITING, FILMMAKING, THEATRE! In this episode (PART 1 of 2), it was truly and sincerely an honor having Tab Murphy on my podcast. I really had an amazing conversation with him! Tab Murphy and I talked about what inspired him to go into the film business, attending USC film school, how he was hired to write screenplays for Paramount Studios, the screenwriting he did on the Walt Disney Studios animated feature films THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, TARZAN, ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, BROTHER BEAR, and his deep love of nature and the great outdoors. This is only the tip of the iceberg of Tab Murphy's creative career! He and I plan on having a PART 2 conversation (another episode!) where we will discuss in detail about his live-action feature films such as MY BEST FRIEND IS A VAMPIRE, GORILLAS IN THE MIST (which he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay), LAST OF THE DOGMEN (which he both wrote and directed as his feature directorial debut), DARK COUNTRY for Thomas Jane, writing for the Warner Bros. Animation direct-to-video animated feature films SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE, BATMAN: YEAR ONE, and so much more. So stay tuned! Also, on Saturday, May 23rd - Sunday, May 24th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, Tab Murphy will be a special guest speaker for the *ANIMATED! MASTER CLASS CONVENTION* along with amazingly talented and legendary writers, animators, producers, and directors such as Aaron Blaise, Byron Howard, John Musker, Ron Clements, Pam Coats, Maggie Malone, Max Howard, Bruce W. Smith, Marlon West, Tom Bancroft, Peter Ramsey, Tony Bancroft, Rob Minkoff, Chuck Williams, John Roesch, Tim Mertens, Mac Smith, Dominic Carola, Shiyoon Kim, and Armand Serrano. *Please visit Aaron Blaise's website for ticket purchasing and detailed information about the ANIMATED MASTER CLASS CONVENTION on Saturday, May 23rd - Sunday, May 24th in Los Angeles, California* : https://creatureartteacher.com/animat... *DISCLAIMER* Some strong language featured in this episode. Viewer discretion advised for tender ears. 0:00 Introduction 3:38 Animated Master Class Convention in LA, California May 23rd-May24th 4:38 Tab Murphy inspired as a young kid; getting into the film business 26:15 Working as a screenwriter for Walt Disney Studios Animation: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, TARZAN, ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, and BROTHER BEAR. Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (theatrical trailer):    • The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Trailer #1 (...   "Hellfire" (Original Demo Song) from Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Lead Vocals: Stephen Schwartz. Background Vocals: Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz.    • Hunchback of Notre Dame Hellfire Initial C...   Disney's TARZAN (theatrical trailer):    • Tarzan - Trailer #1 - 1999 Theatrical Trai...   Disney's ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (theatrical trailer):    • Atlantis: The Lost Empire - Theatrical Tra...   Disney's BROTHER BEAR (theatrical trailer):    • Brother Bear (2003) Trailer   SNOW BEAR - A Hand-Drawn Animated Short Film by Aaron Blaise:    • SNOW BEAR - A Hand-Drawn Animated Short Fi...   #podcast #screenwriting #animation #tabmurphy #kirkwise #garytrousdale #donhahn #aaronblaise #jeffreykatzenberg #alanmenken #stephenschwartz #waltdisneystudiosmotionpictures #paramountstudios #thehunchbackofnotredame #tarzan #atlantisthelostempire #brotherbear ► Music Credit: K. LOUK Track Name: "Funkman" Music By: K. LOUK @ / @kloukk The K. LOUK Official Spotify is HERE - https://open.spotify.com/artist/46klR... Follow k. LOUK on Instagram: / kloukk License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music promoted by Chill Out Records - NCM https://goo.gl/fh3rEJ ► DOWNLOAD this track HERE - https://www.chilloutrecordsmusic.com/  ––– ♪♫ Artist(s) Links ♫♪ ––– ► Music By: K. LOUK @ / @kloukk The K. LOUK Official Spotify is HERE: https://open.spotify.com/artist/46klR... Follow k. LOUK on Instagram HERE: / kloukk