Chris Renaud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chris Renaud
Renaud in 2013
Born	December 1966 (age 58) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	Syracuse University
Occupation	Director producer designer storyboard artist voice actor
Years active	1989–present
Employer	Blue Sky Studios (2001–2007) Illumination (2007–present)
Spouse(s)	Lauren Renaud
Children	2
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Chris Renaud (born December 1966) is an American filmmaker, designer, and voice actor. He is famous for his work at Illumination, the studio behind the Despicable Me movies. Chris directed many popular animated films, including the first, second, and fourth Despicable Me movies. He also directed The Lorax (2012), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), and its sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019).

Chris Renaud also lent his voice to the funny Minions in the first two Despicable Me films. He helped create the Minions with his co-director, Pierre Coffin. He also voiced Norman the guinea pig in The Secret Life of Pets movies. Chris was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work on the Ice Age short film No Time for Nuts (2006) and for Despicable Me 2 (2013).

Chris Renaud's Early Life and Career

Chris Renaud was born in Baltimore in 1966. When he was 15, his family moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Chris said this move was both upsetting and one of the best things for him. It showed him that there was a "great, big world out there." In high school, he was the artist for the yearbook and newspaper. He dreamed of creating comic books. He graduated from Parkland High School in 1985. He then studied art at the Baum School of Art in Allentown.

From Graphic Design to Comics

After finishing college at Syracuse University in 1989, Chris started working as a graphic designer. He designed logos and mascots for big sports companies like the NFL and NBA. Later, Chris began drawing and writing comic books. He worked for famous companies like Marvel Comics and DC Comics. He helped create stories for popular characters like Batman.

Moving to Children's Television

Chris then moved into making children's television shows. He was a production designer for Disney Channel's The Book of Pooh. He also designed characters and virtual sets for shows like Bear in the Big Blue House and LazyTown. For the PBS show It's a Big Big World, he led the visual design for the whole program. This show was even nominated for an Emmy award!

Working at Blue Sky Studios

Before joining Illumination, Chris worked at Blue Sky Studios. There, he was a story artist for films like Robots and Ice Age: The Meltdown. He also helped create the animated short film No Time for Nuts. This short film won an Annie Award and was nominated for an Oscar in 2007.

Directing Animated Movies

Chris Renaud moved to Paris to work for Illumination Entertainment. This is where he became a well-known director of animated films.

Creating the Minions

While directing Despicable Me (2010), Chris and his co-director, Pierre Coffin, started to create Gru's funny helpers, the Minions. At first, they thought about making them robots. Then, Chris had the idea that they could be like "mole people" and added goggles to them. He sent a rough sketch to Pierre, who then worked with Eric Guillon, the art director. Together, they made the Minions look like they do today.

The more they worked on the Minions, the more yellow and round they became. Eric Guillon made them look more like children, simpler, and brighter. The Minions were inspired by characters like the Oompa-Loompas from Willy Wonka and the Jawas from Star Wars. They also got ideas from silent movie stars like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

Directing for Illumination

Chris Renaud directed many successful movies for Illumination. These include:

• Despicable Me (2010)
• Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012)
• Despicable Me 2 (2013)
• The Secret Life of Pets (2016) – This movie is about two pet dogs, Max and Duke, who must work together. They find out that a bunny named Snowball is building an army of abandoned pets. Snowball wants revenge on pet owners and their pets.

Chris signed a new agreement with Illumination in 2013. He said he loved working there because they gave him the chance to direct many movies. He felt lucky to keep working and making films.

In 2012, Chris mentioned that he read Dr. Seuss books when he was a child. These books influenced his work on films like The Lorax. He has thought about directing live-action movies in the future, but he feels very comfortable with animation for now.

Chris also worked as an executive producer for Minions (2015), Despicable Me 3 (2017), and The Grinch (2018). He produced Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022. He returned to direct the sequels The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) and Despicable Me 4 (2024).

Chris Renaud's Personal Life

Since 2008 or 2009, Chris Renaud has lived in Paris, France. He lives there with his wife, Lauren, and their two children, John and Kiely.

Filmography

Film Work

Television Work

See also

In Spanish: Chris Renaud para niños