Mike Mitchell (director)

Mike Mitchell (born October 18, 1970) is an American film director, producer, actor and former animator. He directed the films Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Surviving Christmas, Sky High, Shrek Forever After, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Trolls and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.

For the actor/comedian/podcaster, see Mike Mitchell (actor). For the Canadian Mohawk film director, see Mike Kanentakeron Mitchell.

Mike Mitchell
Mitchell at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
BornOctober 18, 1970 (1970-10-18) (age 50)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
OccupationFilm director
Years active1993–present

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 various voices in Monsters vs. Aliens, and Andy 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] and a live action/animated adaptation of the song Puff, the Magic Dragon.[4]

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 Also writer and producer
1999 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Directorial debut
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
2020 Trolls World Tour Special Thanks

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
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Advisor 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
Year Title Notes
1999 Herd Actor, Mailman
2008 Kung Fu Panda Creative consultant
2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 Special thanks
2016 Kung Fu Panda 3 Executive producer
2017 Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Special thanks
2020 Trolls World Tour Special Thanks

Television

References
  1. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
  2. Director Named for 'Monster Squad', Not the Remake...
  3. Heath, Paul (October 17, 2016). "Exclusive: Writer revealed for Dreamworks' 'Shrek 5' – 'Sky High 2' coming?". The Hollywood News. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  4. Fleming Jr., Mike (December 9, 2016). "Peter, Paul & Mary Tune 'Puff The Magic Dragon' In Fox Deal With 'Troll's Helmer Mike Mitchell". Deadline. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
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