Kris Pearn
Kris Pearn | |
|---|---|
 Kris Pearn at San Diego Comic in 2013 | |
| Born | |
| Education | Strathroy District Collegiate Institute |
| Known for | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 The Willoughbys |
Kris Pearn is an animation director and producer. He has directed films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013, with Cody Cameron) and The Willoughbys (2020).
Early life and education
[edit]Pearn was born in Ontario, Canada, where his family owns a small donkey farm.[1] Pearn attended the Strathroy District Collegiate Institute.
Career
[edit]Pearn's storyboarding for Open Season (2006) earned him an Annie nomination for "Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production".[2]
Pearn and Cody Cameron co-directed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013), the first director credit for each.[3] The duo took over from directing team Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, announced as directors in December 2011. The voices of Sentinel Peter and Labcoat Jenny were provided by Pearn. The duo received a nomination for Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature.[4]
Pearn's storyboard work for Arthur Christmas (2011) earned him an Annie Award nomination for "Storyboarding in a Feature Production".[5] He was also the voice of one of the elves in the film.
Pearn returned to the Open Season film series, working on the story for Open Season: Scared Silly (2015). In 2017, he wrote the animated television film The Great Northern Candy Drop.[6]
Pearn wrote and directed The Willoughbys (2020), an animated comedy released on Netflix. Pearn also developed the story, and co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Stanleigh. He was brought onto the production four years before its release,[1] securing distribution by Netflix early in their venture into commissioning animation.[1] While the source book made fun of children's literature, he pivoted the production to poke at children's movie tropes.[1] Pearn and character designer Craig Kellman had worked together previously, but he suggests that this was the first time they "could really do whatever we craved."[1] The film's score is by Mark Mothersbaugh, who had previously worked with Pearn on Cloudy 2.
In December 2024, he was hired to direct an upcoming Ghostbusters animated film.[7]
He has taught Character Design at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Away from animation, Pearn has illustrated the book Project Superhero, written by E. Paul Zehr, a professor of kinesiology and neuroscience. The two met at TEDxEdmonton 2012 where Zehr was giving a talk on "the superhero in you".[8][9]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes & ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Storyboard artist | Voice Role | |||
| 2006 | Open Season | No | No | Yes | — | [2] |
| 2007 | Surf's Up | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2008 | Open Season 2 | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2009 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | No | No | Yes | — | Also head of story[3] |
| 2011 | Arthur Christmas | No | No | Yes | Elf | [5] |
| 2012 | The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2013 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Yes | No | No | Sentinel Peter / Labcoat Jenny | [3] |
| 2015 | Open Season: Scared Silly | No | Story | No | — | |
| 2015 | Shaun the Sheep Movie | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2015 | Home | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2017 | The Great Northern Candy Drop | No | Yes | No | — | Also executive producer[6] |
| 2018 | Early Man | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2020 | The Willoughbys | Yes | Yes | No | Spoons McGee | Also executive producer[1] |
| 2024 | The Tiger's Apprentice | No | No | Yes | — | |
| TBA | Untitled Ghostbusters animated film | Yes | No | No | — | In production[7] |
Accolades
[edit]| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | February 11, 2007 | Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Open Season | Nominated | [2] |
| February 4, 2012 | Arthur Christmas | Nominated | [5] | ||
| April 16, 2021 | Best Animated Feature | The Willoughbys | Nominated | [10] | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | January 10, 2021 | Best Animated Movie | The Willoughbys | Nominated | [11] |
| Satellite Awards | February 23, 2014 | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Nominated | [4] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Derdeyn, Stuart (17 April 2020). "Director Kris Pearn brings humour and heart to new Netflix animated feature The Willoughbys". Vancouver Sun. Postmedia. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ a b c "37th Annual Annie Nominations and Awards Recipients". The Annie Awards. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c Abrams, Rachel (December 13, 2011). "Helmers set for 'Cloudy 2' toon". Variety. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b "The International Press Academy Announces Nominations For The 18th Annual Satellite Awards". PR Newswire. 2013-12-02. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b c Giardina, Carolyn (4 February 2012). "'Rango' Wins Annie Award for Best Animated Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b "This week in Toronto: Daniel Caesar, Leonard Cohen and a candy drop". Toronto Star. December 11, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ a b Kroll, Justin (December 19, 2024). "'Ghostbusters' Animated Movie In The Works From Sony Animation And Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 7, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ Zucconi, Elisa. "CSEP Members give TED Talks". CSEP-SCPE. CSEP-SCPE. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ Zehr, E.Paul (2014). Project Superhero. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press.
- ^ "2021 Annie Award Nominations: 'Soul,' 'Wolfwalkers' and Netflix Lead". Variety. 3 March 2021. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
- ^ Yang, Rachel (2020-11-19). "Critics Choice Super Awards". Critic's Choice Association. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Kris Pearn at IMDb
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