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Philip LaZebnik (born February 8, 1953)[1] is an American screenwriter and producer. He is known for writing the animated films Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1998), and The Road to El Dorado (2000).
Philip LaZebnik | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1953[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter and film producer |
| Relatives | Ken LaZebnik (brother) Rob LaZebnik (brother) |
He grew up in Columbia, Missouri, attended Hickman High School, and graduated from Harvard College in 1976, with a B.A. in classics. His brothers are Ken LaZebnik and Rob LaZebnik.[2]
LaZebnik has written screenplays for films including Pocahontas, Mulan, The Prince of Egypt, and The Road to El Dorado. LaZebnik also wrote episodes for Wings, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Torkelsons and Almost Home. LaZebnik has served on the board of directors of the Writers Guild of America West (2001–02) and the Writers Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (2001–03). The screenplay for Mulan won the 1998 Annie Award for best animation screenplay. He has written numerous films and television series in Europe and the US.
He wrote the book for the musical "Fairy Tale" about Hans Christian Andersen with songs by Stephen Schwartz, and wrote the book and lyrics for "Oktoberfest: the Musical" (2016) with music by Harold Faltermeyer. In collaboration with Mads Æbeløe Nielsen he wrote the book for the theatrical musical version of Djævelens lærling (or The Devil's Apprentice), a best-selling Danish fantasy novel of the same name by Kenneth B. Andersen, with songs and music by Madeline Myers.[3][4]
He co-wrote the book for the theatrical musical "Snow White and Me" with Ronald Kruschwak, music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary, which premiered in Brno, Czech Republic at Meska Divadlo in 2022. He wrote book and lyrics for "Oktoberfest" with music by Harold Faltermeyer, which premiered in Los Angeles and opens in Berlin, Germany at the Renaissance Theatre on July 7, 2024.
He wrote the book for DreamWorks' theatrical musical version of The Prince of Egypt with songs by Stephen Schwartz which opened October 14, 2017, at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California[5] and then April 6, 2018, at Fredericia Theatre in Denmark.[6] The Prince of Egypt premiered at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End February 25, 2020. The London West End production was filmed live and is available digitally.
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Writer |
| 1998 | Mulan | |
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt | |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | |
| 2006 | The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar | |
| 2006 | Asterix and the Vikings | |
| 2007 | The Treasure of the Templar Knights 2 | |
| 2007 | The Three Investigators and the Secret of Skeleton Island | |
| 2000 | The Treasure of the Templar Knights 3 | |
| 2009 | The Three Investigators and the Secret of Terror Castle | |
| 2014 | Asterix and Obelix: Mansion of the Gods | |
| 2015 | Emma and Santa Claus | |
| 2019 | The Shamer's Daughter 2 | |
| 2022 | Richard the Stork and the Mystery of the Great Jewel | |
| 2023 | The Prince of Egypt: Live from the West End | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-1989 | Day by Day | Writer | 33 episodes |
| 1990-1991 | Wings | Writer / Co-producer | 5 episodes |
| 1991-1992 | The Torkelsons | Writer / Producer | 5 episodes |
| 1991 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Writer | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | Almost Home | Writer / Producer | 3 episodes |
| 1994 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Writer | Episode: Fascination |
| 2011 | Ludwig and Santa Claus | Writer | |
| 2013 | Hindenburg: the Last Flight | Writer | |
| 2013 | The Hong Kong Affair | Writer | |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Hans Christian Andersen: My Fairytale | Writer | |
| 2016 | Octoberfest The Musical | Writer | Los Angeles[7] |
| 2020 | The Prince of Egypt | Writer | West End |
| 2022 | Snow White and Me | Writer |
| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | CableAce Award | Children's Programming | Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle | Nominated |
| Children's Series | Nominated | |||
| 1998 | Annie Award | Outstanding Writing for an Animated Feature | Mulan | Won |
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