'Shrek 2’ Director Kelly Asbury Dead at 60

Kelly Asbury, who worked on some huge animated films, including directing the blockbuster "Shrek 2" ... is dead after a long battle with cancer.

Kelly died peacefully Friday in Encino, CA ... according to his rep, and leaves behind an amazing resume in the world of animation.

He's best known for directing the Oscar-nominated 'Shrek' sequel, but also worked on some of Disney's biggest animated hits ... such as "Beauty and the Beast."

Kelly directed and wrote the screenplay for the 2011 flick, "Gnomeo & Juliet," Most recently, he directed "UglyDolls," which came out last year.

Asbury earned his stripes in the animation industry at the Mouse House -- from 1983 to 1995 he contributed storyboards for iconic movies like "The Little Mermaid," "The Rescuers Down Under" and "The Black Cauldron," just to name a few.

He moved over to DreamWorks in 1995, making his directorial debut in 2002 on the Oscar-nominated movie, 'Spirit.'

Asbury eventually returned to Disney for a brief stint, working as a story artist for popular hits like "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Frozen." Safe to say, he put smiles on the faces of millions upon millions of movie-goers

He was also a published children's book author, and even wrote a biography profiling ventriloquists like Jeff Dunham, Edgar Bergen, Shari Lewis, Jimmy Nelson and Paul Winchell.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported his death. Kelly was 60.