Henry Selick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henry Selick
Selick speaks on a panel during South by Southwest 2009
Born	(1952-11-30) November 30, 1952 (age 72) Glen Ridge, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	Rutgers University Syracuse University California Institute of the Arts
Occupation	Filmmaker stop motion animator
Years active	1975–present

Charles Henry Selick Jr. (/ˈsɛlɪk/; born November 30, 1952) is an American filmmaker and clay animator. He is best known for directing the stop-motion animated films The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Monkeybone (2001), Coraline (2009), and Wendell & Wild (2022).

Early life

Selick was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the son of Melanie (née Molan) and Charles H. Selick. He was raised in Rumson. Selick did little but draw from ages 3 to 12. He graduated from Rumson-Fair Haven High School in 1970.

After studying science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and art at Syracuse University and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, Selick eventually enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) to study animation. He studied at the Program in Experimental Animation at California Institute of the Arts under the guidance of Jules Engel. His two student films there, Phases and Tube Tales, were nominated for Student Academy Awards.

Film work

Disney

After his academic studies, he went to work for Walt Disney Studios as an "in-betweener" and animator trainee on such films as Pete's Dragon and The Small One. During his time at Disney, he met and worked around the likes of Rick Heinrichs, Jorgen Klubien, Brad Bird, John Musker, Dan Haskett, Sue and Bill Kroyer, Ed Gombert, Andy Gaskill, and Tim Burton.

Further work

Selick's third feature was Monkeybone, a live-action/stop-motion adaptation of an underground comic, Dark Town by Kaja Blackley, produced by 20th Century Fox. The film was a flop both commercially and critically. Selick, who animated the fictional sea creatures in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, signed on as animation director on Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox. In February 2006, Selick left the project, to work on Coraline for Laika.

Coraline (2009)

Selick's first feature with Laika was Coraline, based on the novella Coraline by acclaimed fantasy author Neil Gaiman, and released in 2009. It was the first ever stereoscopic 3D stop-motion animated film. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was nominated for Best Animated Feature as an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe.

Work with Pixar

Selick left Laika in 2009. In 2010, Selick joined with Pixar and The Walt Disney Company in a long-term contract to exclusively produce stop-motion films. This not only returned Selick to his original roots, but also reunited Selick with numerous former friends and co-animators.

Selick and Cinderbiter's first film under this deal, a project called ShadeMaker, was set to be released on October 4, 2013. In 2011, the film was green-lit for production and retitled The Shadow King. In August 2012, it was reported that, after spending a reported $50 million, Walt Disney Pictures canceled the project. In a 2022 interview, Selick said that he had reacquired the rights for The Shadow King from Disney and that he may revive the project.

On April 28, 2012, it was announced that Disney had optioned the rights for Neil Gaiman's novel The Graveyard Book. Later that same day, it was announced that Selick would direct the film after work was completed on ShadeMaker. It was unknown if the adaptation would be live-action or stop motion. After the studio and Selick parted ways over scheduling and development, it was announced in January 2013 that Ron Howard would direct the film.

In February 2013, it was reported in a press release by Selick that K5 International would be handling sales for The Shadow King at the European Film Market. It was unknown when the film would actually be released. In August 2016, a rep for Selick said the film was "in turnaround again" while Selick continued work on his other two projects: A Tale Dark and Grimm and Wendell and Wild.

On October 16, 2013, Selick announced a live-action film adaptation of Adam Gidwitz's children's novel A Tale Dark and Grimm.

Wendell & Wild (2022)

On November 3, 2015, it was reported that Selick was developing Wendell & Wild, a new stop-motion feature with Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key based on an original story by Selick. In 2018, the film was picked up by Netflix. The film was released on October 28, 2022, on Netflix.

Upcoming projects

In June 2017, Selick was reported to direct the pilot and subsequent episodes of a Little Nightmares TV adaptation produced by the Russo brothers.

In June 2024, it was announced that Selick was developing a stop-motion film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 2013 novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane, as well as reviving The Shadow King as a graphic novel. In August 2024, Selick implied The Ocean at the End of the Lane was back in limbo, saying in an interview while promoting the theatrical re-release of Coraline, "I would hope that it might still come together, but I have no predictions." In January 2025, Selick is still making his The Ocean at the End of the Lane feature film, which is still in development.

Interesting facts about Henry Selick

• Selick became fascinated with animation as a kid when he saw Lotte Reiniger's stop-motion film The Adventures of Prince Achmed and the animated creatures of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad by Ray Harryhausen.
• He learned a lot to improve his drawing, animation, and storytelling skills from Disney legend Eric Larson.
• Tim Burton served as producer on Selick's first two films as director, The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach.
• In 2012, the Academy Film Archive preserved several of Selick's short films: Phases, Seepage, and Tube Tales.

Henry Selick quotes

• “Kids love to be scared – there’s way to do it right, and ways to do it wrong.”
• “People are very harsh critics of animated humans.”
• “Unless you have kids, you actually have no idea what kids are watching on TV these days.”
• “Morals always sound like cliches, but usually cliches are based on things that are ultimate truths. Be grateful for what you have; appreciate what’s right there in front of you.”

Filmography

Short films

Feature films

Others

• Pete's Dragon (1977) (inbetweener)
• The Small One (1978) (animator)
• The Watcher in the Woods (1980) (designer of the alien)
• Twice Upon a Time (1983) (sequence director)
• Return to Oz (1985) (storyboard artist)
• Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986) (visual adaptation)
• MTV ID's: "Gravity", "Masks '87", "Dollhouse M", "Bath for Dad", "Haircut M", "Xerox Bug" (1987–1990)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (inbetweener)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) (animation by)

See also

In Spanish: Henry Selick para niños