Simon James Smith is an English animator, director, visual effects artist and occasional voice actor best known for his work at DreamWorks Animation. Smith came to PDI/DreamWorks in 1997 as head of layout for the company's feature film division. A CG animation veteran with nearly 25 years of experience, Smith supervised the layout department on PDI/DreamWorks' first animated feature Antz, serving as the head of layout in Shrek. He then directed the Universal Studios Theatre experience Shrek 4-D, followed by the short Far Far Away Idol. His first feature film as a director was in 2007, with Bee Movie . He then directed another DVD short, Megamind: The Button of Doom, before co-helming, with Eric Darnell, the comedy/spy action spin-off from the Madagascar series, Penguins of Madagascar.
Career[]
Smith began his career in London, where he worked at SVC Television, the editing and effects house Framestore and post house VTR, where he established his own 3D department. Immediately prior to joining PDI/DreamWorks, Smith served at The Mill as the CG supervisor on commercial projects for Nike, Honda, Volvo and VW Polo. He was a pioneer in the field of pre-visualization, and used that skill set to create PDI's layout department, which became an integral part of PDI's filmmaking process. Smith was also instrumental in helping to set up CG layout department for Aardman Animation for the production of Chicken Run. Known for his work on the award-winning pop video Go West for the Pet Shop Boys, Smith also received the first ever Gold Leaf Award for his 3D directorial work on the commercial West Lites.
Film credits[]
Directing[]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Shrek 4-D | |
| 2004 | Far Far Away Idol | |
| 2007 | Bee Movie | also voice of Truck driver/Chet |
| 2011 | Megamind: The Button of Doom | |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar |
Visual Effects & Animation[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Antz | Layout Supervisor | |
| 1998 | The Prince of Egypt | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2000 | Chicken Run | Special Thanks | |
| 2001 | Shrek | Head of Layout | also voice of Blind Mouse |
| 2002 | Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Layout Consultant | |
| 2004 | Shark Tale | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Layout Artist | Uncredited |
| 2011 | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Layout Artist | Uncredited |