Simon J. Smith

Simon James Smith is a Welsh-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.

Simon J. Smith
Born	Simon James Smith[1] 8 September 1968 Cardiff, Wales
Occupation	Voice actor animator director visual effects artist
Years active	1997–present
Employer	DreamWorks Animation (1997–present)
Notable work	Antz Shrek Shrek 2 Bee Movie Megamind: The Button of Doom Penguins of Madagascar

Early and personal life

Smith was born on 8 September 1968 in Cardiff, Wales to English parents who both had Welsh ancestry. He moved to England as a young child in 1970, but still visits Wales frequently. He considers himself Welsh-English. His grandparents were all born in Cardiff, Wales, but immigrated to England. He owns houses in Los Angeles, London and Cardiff.

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 a 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. 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. He has expressed interest in directing an animated film set in Wales.

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	[2][3]

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

References

1. Bee movie (dvd). WorldCat. OCLC 271735362.
2. Kit, Borys (August 11, 2011). "'Madagascar' Spin-Off to Be Helmed by 'Bee Movie' Co-Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
3. "DreamWorks Animation Moves Up 'Penguins Of Madagascar' Bow, Bumps 'Home' To 2015". Deadline. May 20, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.

External links

• Simon J. Smith at IMDb