Chris Renaud is an American illustrator, film director, storyboard artist, graphic designer, and voice actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2006 animated short No Time for Nuts, which featured the character Scrat from the computer-animated Ice Age films.
Biography[]
Director Chris Renaud has established himself as a heavyweight in the world of animation following the phenomenal box office success of recent movies Despicable Me (2010), Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012) and Despicable Me 2 (2013). Along with Pierre Coffin and Eric Guillon, he also co-created the iconic Minion characters featured in the Despicable Me films and the global smash Minions (2015). Most recently, he directed 'The Secret Life of Pets' which debuted to $104M, breaking the weekend opening record for an original animated film.
Renaud comes from the world of comic books, and worked at Marvel and DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. After a stint as a animation production designer at Shadow Projects and Big Big Productions, Renaud moved to Blue Sky Studios/20th Century Fox Animation. While there, he worked as a story artist on projects like Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!(2008) and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009).
Renaud took some of the skills he was learning at Blue Sky and conceived, wrote and storyboarded the animated short No Time for Nuts (2006), which featured the popular Ice Age character Scrat. It wound up scoring an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film, Animated, and won Renaud an Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject.
In 2007, producer Christopher Meledandri left his post as head of 20th Century Fox animation and founded Illumination Entertainment, and soon after brought Renaud on board to direct that company's first project. Despicable Me (2010), which Renaud directed with Pierre Coffin, went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2010 with over $251 million at the domestic box office. Renaud went on to direct the company's next fully animated projects, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012) and Despicable Me 2 (2013), both of which where sizable hits, making a combined $1.3 billion worldwide. Despicable Me 2 was also nominated for an Academy Award in the Feature Animation category.
Renaud's current project is 'The Secret Life of Pets 2' which is set to be released in the summer of 2019. (formerly)
Career[]
Coroner (TV Series)
Kent Wilkins
- One Drum (2020) ... Kent Wilkins
2019The Secret Life of Pets 2
Norman / Additional Voices (voice)
2016Norman Television (Video short)
Norman (voice)
2016Sing
Additional Voices (voice)
2016The Secret Life of Pets
Norman (voice)
2015Cro Minion (Video short)
The Minions / Neanderthal Dad (voice)
2015Minions: Mini-Movie - Competition (Short)
The Minions
2013Despicable Me 2
Additional Minions / Evil Minions / Italian Waiter (voice)
2012Forces of Nature (Video short)
Pipsqueak (voice)
2012Wagon Ho! (Video short)
The Animals (voice)
2012The Lorax
Forest Animals (voice)
2010Despicable Me
Dave the Minion (voice)
As Producer:
Despicable Me 4 (executive producer) (announced)
2021Minions: The Rise of Gru (producer - p.g.a.) (completed)
2019Minion Scouts (Video short) (executive producer)
2019Super Gidget (Video short) (executive producer)
2019Santa's Little Helpers (Video short) (executive producer)
2018The Dog Days of Winter (Short) (executive producer)
2018Yellow is the New Black (Short) (executive producer)
2018The Grinch (executive producer)
2017Despicable Me 3 (executive producer)
2016Norman Television (Video short) (executive producer)
2016Weenie (Video short) (executive producer)
2016Mower Minions (Short) (executive producer)
2015Binky Nelson Unpacified (Video short) (executive producer)
2015Cro Minion (Video short) (executive producer)
2015Minions: Mini-Movie - Competition (Short) (executive producer)
2015Minions (executive producer)
2013Panic in the Mailroom (Short) (executive producer)
2013Puppy! (Short) (executive producer)
2013Training Wheels (Video short) (executive producer)
2012Forces of Nature (Video short) (executive producer)
2012Serenade (Video short) (executive producer)
2012Wagon Ho! (Video short) (executive producer)
2010Banana (Short) (executive producer)
2010Despicable Me: Minion Madness (Video short) (executive producer)
2010Home Makeover (Short) (executive producer)
2010Orientation Day (Short) (executive producer)
As Director
2019The Secret Life of Pets 2 (directed by)
2016The Secret Life of Pets (directed by)
2013Despicable Me 2 (directed by)
2012The Lorax
2010Despicable Me: Minion Madness (Video short)
2010Despicable Me
2007The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Animation
2006No Time for Nuts (Video short)