Andrew Adamson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrew Adamson MNZM
Adamson in 2013
Born	(1966-12-01) 1 December 1966 (age 58) Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation	Film director film producer screenwriter animator
Years active	1990–present
Children	2

Andrew Ralph Adamson MNZM (born 1 December 1966) is a talented film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator from New Zealand. He is most famous for directing the popular Shrek movies for DreamWorks Animation. He also directed and helped write the first two live-action movies based on C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia books.

About Andrew Adamson

Andrew Adamson's parents were a homemaker and a computer engineer. He was born in New Zealand. When he was eleven, his family moved to Papua New Guinea. Seven years later, he returned to Auckland. At age 24, he moved to San Francisco in the USA. After making the Narnia films, he moved back to New Zealand. Andrew Adamson has two children.

Andrew Adamson's Career

Andrew Adamson first wanted to be an architect. However, he missed the university sign-up deadline because of a car accident. Later, he was hired by a company called Pacific Data Images to work in the USA.

Early Film Work

In Los Angeles, Andrew Adamson worked as a technical director for movies like Toys (1992), which starred Robin Williams. He also worked on Angels in the Outfield (1994) with Danny Glover. Before this, he mostly worked on advertisements. He preferred telling longer stories in movies. He also worked as a visual effects supervisor for films such as Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997).

Directing the Shrek Movies

Andrew Adamson directed the first Shrek movie, which came out in 2001. This film was based on a children's picture book by William Steig. Shrek was a huge success around the world, earning almost $500 million. It starred the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow.

He also directed Shrek 2 (2004), which was an even bigger hit. It earned over $900 million worldwide! Shrek 2 had one of the biggest opening weekends ever at the time. Andrew Adamson also helped write the story for Shrek 2.

He did not direct the third Shrek movie, Shrek the Third. Instead, he was an executive producer for that film. This meant he helped oversee the project but didn't direct it.

Directing The Chronicles of Narnia

Andrew Adamson gained even more fame with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). He helped produce, write, and direct this movie. It was based on the famous book by C. S. Lewis. The film was a big success, earning over $744 million worldwide. It became the third highest-grossing film globally in 2005.

He also directed the next Narnia film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which was released in 2008. This movie earned over $419 million at the box office. Andrew Adamson later returned as a producer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).

Andrew Adamson's Filmography

Here are some of the films Andrew Adamson has worked on:

Executive Producer Only

• Ballast (2008)
• Shrek Forever After (2010)
• Puss in Boots (2011)
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Other Roles

Awards and Honours

Andrew Adamson's films have won many awards:

• Shrek won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This is a very important award in movies.
• Shrek also won the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
• Shrek 2 won the People's Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Comedy and Favorite Animated Movie.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe won an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It also won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Family Film.

In 2006, Andrew Adamson was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This is a special honour given for his great work in film.

See Also

In Spanish: Andrew Adamson para niños