In 1982, Minkoff began his career as an intern at Walt Disney Productions, apprenticing under Eric Larson. He worked as an animator and character designer on films like The Black Cauldron (1985), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), and The Little Mermaid (1989). His directorial debut came with Roger Rabbit shorts Tummy Trouble (1989) and Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990). In 1992, he co-directed The Lion King (1994), overseeing the iconic “Circle of Life” sequence.
Minkoff transitioned to live-action with Stuart Little (1999) and its sequel, later directing The Haunted Mansion (2003). He founded Sprocketdyne Entertainment and developed Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014) with DreamWorks. His recent projects include directing Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022) and overseeing Netflix’s Llama Llama series.