Gris Grimly facts for kids

Steven Soenksen is an American artist and writer. He is famous for his pen name (which is like a nickname for writers) Gris Grimly. He mostly creates children's books that are a bit dark but also fun and imaginative. Gris Grimly was born in Nebraska and later lived and worked in the Los Angeles area for many years.

About Gris Grimly

Early Life and Inspirations

Gris Grimly was born in Nebraska. From a young age, he loved the exciting and sometimes scary world of monsters and goblins. He found inspiration in many places. These included classic horror films, comic books, and fine art. He also admired writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Gorey, and H. P. Lovecraft.

Grimly says that artist Jon J Muth was the main reason he started using watercolors. He once said, "When I was young, I saw a copy of Moonshadow and wanted to do art like that." Even though his own art looks different, Muth's work guided him.

Starting His Career

After graduating from Concordia University Nebraska, where he studied art, Grimly moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to find more experiences and opportunities there. He worked for some big studios, creating ideas for their projects. In his free time, he made a series of small, original books. These books looked like children's books but had his unique dark and twisted style.

He originally planned to work in the comic book industry. However, this series of books led him to his first job illustrating children's books. His first book, Monster Museum, and the ones that followed, showed a new style of children's book art. It was fun enough for kids to enjoy reading. It was also interesting enough for parents to like.

The success of these books helped Grimly earn respect in the art world. His illustrations appeared in over a dozen books in just eight years. He used his talent to bring new life to classics like Edgar Allan Poe's stories, Pinocchio, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. He also created his own characters in his Wicked Nursery Rhymes series and Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud.

Venturing into Film

In 2005, Grimly used his creativity to make movies. He wrote, directed, and produced his first short film, Cannibal Flesh Riot!. This film began as a project with his friend Peter Sandorff. Sandorff is a guitarist for bands like Nekromantix.

The story was first planned as a comic book with music. But it turned into a 35-minute short film. It mostly used live action with parts of stop motion animation. Sandorff even formed a band called Hola Ghost to create the music for the film. The film was shown at film festivals and events worldwide and received great reviews.

Grimly's skill in directing with a clear and original vision has grown. He plans to make more short films through his company, Gris Grimly's Mad Creator Productions. He also works on making music videos.

In 2008, Grimly produced and directed a music video for the band Ghoultown. This video was made with a small budget. It was filmed partly at the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. It also starred Cassandra Peterson as her well-known character, Elvira.

Recent Projects and Pinocchio

In May 2012, Grimly held a special reading event for Baby Tattoo Books. This event was part of the Spectrum Fantastic Art show in Kansas City. Later that month, an exciting announcement was made. Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson would co-direct a stop-motion animated movie of Grimly's Pinocchio. Grimly would be an executive producer for the film.

In 2013, HarperCollins released Grimly's graphic novel version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In an interview in October 2013, Grimly talked about his personal connection to the characters. He especially felt a bond with Frankenstein's monster. He shared that when he was five years old, he had a serious burn injury on his back. He said he "grew up feeling kind of like a monster." This feeling drew him to the Frankenstein story.

After many years of work, Pinocchio finally premiered on October 15, 2022. It was shown at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival. Then, Netflix released it on December 9, 2022. The film won many important awards. These included the Oscar, Annie, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. It received many other honors as well.

Books

As author and illustrator

• Where Madness Reigns: The Art of Gris Grimly (Baby Tattoo, 2009)
• Gris Grimly's Wicked Nursery Rhymes trilogy (Baby Tattoo)
  • Wicked Nursery Rhymes III (2017)
  • Wicked Nursery Rhymes II (2006)
  • Wicked Nursery Rhymes (2003)
• Little Jordan Ray's Muddy Spud (Baby Tattoo, 2005)

As illustrator only

• Hocus Pocus by A.W. Jantha (Disney Press, 2022)
• Tales from the Brothers Grimm by the Brothers Grimm (Balzer + Bray, 2016)
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015)
• Guys Read: Terrifying Tales (Walden Pond Press, 2015)
• A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (Balzer + Bray, 2015)
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Balzer + Bray, 2011)
• The Death of Yorik Mortwell by Stephen Messer (Random House, 2011)
• Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia (Simon & Schuster, 2009)
• Sipping Spiders Through a Straw: Campfire Songs for Monsters by Kelly Dipucchio (Scholastic Press, 2008)
• The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins, 2008)
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (Simon & Schuster, 2007)
• Santa Claws by Laura Leuck (Chronicle, 2006)
• Grimericks by Susan Pearson (Marshall Cavendish, 2005)
• Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi (Harcourt, 2004)
• Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
• Creature Carnival by Marilyn Singer (Hyperion, 2004)
• Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (Tor Books, 2002)
• The Cockatrice Boys by Joan Aiken (Tor Books, 2002)
• Monster Museum by Marilyn Singer (Hyperion Press, 2001)

Filmography

• Cannibal Flesh Riot! (2006)
• The Craving (2007)
• Zeppo: El Exorcismo (2008)
• Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind (2009)
• Pinocchio (2022) - co-producer

Videography

• "Cannibal Flesh Riot!" performed by Hola Ghost (2006)
• "Mistress of the Dark" performed by Ghoultown (2008)