Mike Mitchell
Mitchell at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, promoting Trolls
BornOctober 18, 1970 (1970-10-18) (age 53)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, writer, producer, actor and animator
Years active1993–present

Mike Mitchell (born October 18, 1970) is an American film director, writer, producer, actor and animator. He directed the films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Surviving Christmas (2004), Sky High (2005), Shrek Forever After (2010), Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011), The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015), Trolls (2016), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024).

Early life

Mitchell was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the son of lawyer and former chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, Robert Mitchell and Julia Baker. According to his father, "Mitchell's gifts for artistic imagery were discovered early." He graduated from Putnam City North High School, and during this time was very much involved in the arts, then subsequently moved to Los Angeles to attend the California Institute of the Arts. During his time there, there was a demand for young animators, which led him into television.

Working for such filmmakers as Tim Burton and Spike Jonze, Mitchell became an illustrator. He has one older sister, Suzanne Mitchell Robertson.

Career

He started his career as director for Matt O'Callaghan's The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He first gained critical attention when he co-wrote, produced and directed the short film Herd, which won several film festival awards, including the Spirit of Slamdance Award at the 1999 Slamdance Festival. That same year, he made his feature film directorial debut with the comedy Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, starring Rob Schneider. He worked for various companies including Disney, DreamWorks, MTV, Nickelodeon, Universal and Sony.

He directed the films Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Surviving Christmas and Sky High. The first two received negative reviews, while the third has received positive reviews. In 2006, he joined DreamWorks Animation, and was a story artist for Shrek the Third and Creative Consultant for Kung Fu Panda. He later directed the movie Shrek Forever After and voiced the character Butterpants.

Mitchell's short film Frannie's Christmas was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.[1]

He also worked as a voice actor for Advisor Wedgie (known as "Nerd" for most of the film) in Monsters vs. Aliens, and Andy "Jack" Beanstalk in Puss in Boots. He also directed live action sequences on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. He not only works on movies but in television as well. He directed and wrote several episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants. Mitchell also directed the animated film The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which was released on February 8, 2019, to positive reviews. Mitchell will also direct Nightcrawlers, a supernatural action comedy,[2] a sequel to Sky High,[3] a live-action-animated adaptation of the book We're Not From Here,[4] and a live-action/animated adaptation of the song Puff, the Magic Dragon.[5]

On April 26, 2023, it was announced that Mitchell is set to direct the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, set for release on March 8, 2024.[6]

Awards

Sundance Film Festival: "Frannie's Christmas" (1993).

Aspen Shortsfest 1999: Won special recognition for "Herd" (1999).

Atlanta Film Festival 1999: Won Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Short: "Herd" (1999).

Birmingham Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival 1999: Won first prize for "Herd" (1999).

Slamdance Film Festival 1999: Won Spirt of Slamdance Award for "Herd" (1999).

HI Mom Film Festival 2000: Won first prize for "Herd" (1999).

Movieguide Award 2020: Won Best Movie for Families for "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" (2019) (with Trisha Gum).

Filmography

Director

Year Title Notes
1999 Herd Short Film, Also writer and producer
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo
2004 Surviving Christmas
2005 Sky High
2010 Shrek Forever After
2011 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
2015 The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water Live-action sequences
2016 Trolls
2019 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
2024 Kung Fu Panda 4

Animator

Year Title Notes
1998 Antz Additional story artist
2004 Shrek 2
2007 Shrek the Third
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Story artist
2016 Sausage Party Additional storyboard artist

Voice roles

Year Title Role
2001 Monkeybone Miss Hudlapp
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Advisor "Nerd" Wedgie
2010 Shrek Forever After Tour Guide/Camp Ogre/Ogre Naysayer/Baba Witch/Melty Witch/Witch Guard #2/Butter Pants
Megamind Father in Crowd
2011 Puss in Boots Andy Beanstalk
2014 Penguins of Madagascar Antarctic Penguin
2016 Kung Fu Panda 3 Male Palace Goose / Smart Panda Villager
Trolls Darius, Vinny the Phone, Captain Starfunkle, Spider, Wedgie Bergen #1, Chad, Card
2019 The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Sherry Scratchen-Post

Other credits

Actor

Year Title Role
1999 Herd Mailman

Creative consultant

Special thanks

Executive producer

Television

Critical reception

Film Rotten TomatoesMetacriticBudgetBox Office
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)22%"[8]30%[9]$17 million$92.9 million
Surviving Christmas (2004)7%[10]19%[11]$45 million$15.1 million
Sky High (2005)73%[12]62%[13]$35 million$86.4 million
Shrek Forever After (2010)57%[14]58%[15]$135–165 million$752.6 million
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)12%[16]24%[17]$80 million$342.7 million
Trolls (2016)75%[18]55%[19]$125 million$346.9 million
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)84%[20]65%[21]$99 million$199.6 million

References

  1. ↑ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Director Named for 'Monster Squad', Not the Remake..." Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  3. ↑ Heath, Paul (October 17, 2016). "Exclusive: Writer revealed for Dreamworks' 'Shrek 5' – 'Sky High 2' coming?". The Hollywood News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  4. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 29, 2020). "Columbia Pictures Acquires Geoff Rodkey Novel 'We're Not From Here' From Will Gluck's Olive Bridge, Mike Mitchell To Direct". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  5. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 9, 2016). "Peter, Paul & Mary Tune 'Puff The Magic Dragon' In Fox Deal With 'Troll's Helmer Mike Mitchell". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (April 26, 2023). "Jack Black, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake Tease 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Trolls' Sequels". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  7. ↑ Laurén, Alexa (May 24, 2023). "New Trailer Drops for 'Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Surviving Christmas (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Surviving Christmas reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Sky High (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Sky High". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Shrek Forever After". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Shrek Forever After". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Alvin and the Cjipmunks: Chipwrecked Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Trolls (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Trolls Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  20. ↑ "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  21. ↑ "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
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