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
Notable work	Shrek, Shrek 2
Children	2

Andrew Ralph Adamson is a talented film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator from New Zealand. He was born on December 1, 1966. He is most famous for directing the popular animated movie Shrek (2001). This film was based on a children's book by William Steig. Shrek won the very first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Andrew Adamson also directed and helped write Shrek 2 (2004), which was also nominated for an Academy Award. Besides animated films, he directed and co-wrote the first two live-action movies from C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia series: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008).

About Andrew Adamson

Early Life and Family

Andrew Adamson's parents were a homemaker and a computer engineer. He was born in New Zealand. When he was eleven years old, his family moved to Papua New Guinea. Seven years later, he returned to Auckland, New Zealand.

At age 24, Andrew moved to San Francisco in the United States. He spent his time living between San Francisco and Los Angeles. After making the Narnia movies, he moved back to New Zealand. Andrew Adamson has two children.

How He Started in Film

Andrew Adamson first wanted to become 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.

This company opened an office in Los Angeles. There, Andrew worked as a technical director for movies like Toys (1992), which starred Robin Williams. He also worked on Angels in the Outfield (1994), starring Danny Glover. Before this, Andrew mostly worked on advertisements. But 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).

Major Film Projects

Directing the Shrek Movies

Andrew Adamson directed the first Shrek movie in 2001. It was based on a picture book by William Steig. The movie was made with a budget of $60 million. It became a huge success worldwide, earning almost $500 million. On its opening weekend, it made over $40 million. Famous actors like Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow lent their voices to the characters.

The next movie, Shrek 2 (2004), had a bigger budget of about $150 million. It was even more successful than the first Shrek film. It earned over $900 million around the world. Its opening weekend brought in over $100 million, which was one of the highest openings at that time. Andrew Adamson directed this film and also helped write its story.

He did not direct the third movie in the series, Shrek the Third. This was because he was busy working on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Instead, Shrek the Third was directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui. Andrew Adamson was an executive producer for this film. The third Shrek movie was also very successful, earning over $795 million worldwide.

Bringing Narnia to Life

Andrew Adamson achieved great success with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He co-produced, co-wrote, and directed this movie. The film is based on the famous book by C. S. Lewis. It won many awards and was praised by critics. It was also a huge success at the box office. In 2005, it was the third highest-grossing film worldwide. The movie opened in the US and Canada with over $65 million. It earned a total of $744,783,957 worldwide, with a budget of $180 million.

He returned to direct the next Narnia film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This movie was released in May 2008. It earned over $419 million at the box office. Andrew Adamson also worked as a producer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This film was released in December 2010.

For a while, the companies 20th Century Fox and Walden Media planned to make more Narnia films. However, in October 2011, it was confirmed that the contract with C. S. Lewis's estate had ended. This meant that any future Narnia films were put on hold.

Other Projects

In 2018, Andrew Adamson worked with the music group Death Grips. He appeared on their album Year of the Snitch. He spoke an introduction on a song called "Dilemma."

Andrew Adamson's Filmography

Executive Producer Only

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

Other Roles

Awards and Recognition

Andrew Adamson has directed many award-winning films.

• Shrek won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The National Board of Review named it Best Animated Film.
• Shrek 2 won several People's Choice Awards. These included Favorite Movie Comedy, Favorite Sequel, and Favorite Animated Movie.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It also received the BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair. The Broadcast Film Critics Association named it Best Family Film. It won Saturn Awards for Best Make-up and Best Special Effects.

In 2006, Andrew Adamson was honored for his work in film. He was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). This is a special award given in New Zealand.

See also

In Spanish: Andrew Adamson para niños