Mike Mitchell (director) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Mitchell
Mitchell at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, promoting Trolls
Born	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation	Film director writer producer actor animator
Years active	1993–present

Mike Mitchell is an American film director, writer, producer, actor, and animator. He is famous for directing many movies that kids and families love. Some of his well-known films include Sky High (2005), Shrek Forever After (2010), Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011), Trolls (2016), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024).

Mike Mitchell: A Director for Kids' Favorite Movies

Early Life and How He Started

Mike Mitchell was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in the United States. He went to Putnam City North High School. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to study at the California Institute of the Arts. This school is famous for teaching students about animation and film.

Mitchell began his career as a director for a show called The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He first got noticed for a short film he helped write, produce, and direct, called Herd. This short film won several awards at film festivals.

Directing Big Movies

Mike Mitchell has worked for many big movie studios. These include Disney, DreamWorks, MTV, Nickelodeon, Universal, and Sony.

He directed movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked and Sky High. Sky High is a popular film about a school for superheroes. In 2006, he joined DreamWorks Animation. He helped create the stories for movies like Shrek the Third and Kung Fu Panda. Later, he directed Shrek Forever After. He even lent his voice to a character named Butterpants in that movie!

In 2012, one of his early short films, Frannie's Christmas, was saved by the Academy Film Archive. This means it's considered an important film to keep for the future.

Voice Acting and Other Cool Jobs

Besides directing, Mike Mitchell is also a voice actor. He was the voice of Advisor Wedgie in Monsters vs. Aliens. He also voiced Andy "Jack" Beanstalk in Puss in Boots.

He directed live-action parts in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. He doesn't just work on movies; he also works on television shows. He directed and wrote several episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Mike Mitchell is also set to direct new projects. These include a supernatural action comedy called Nightcrawlers. He is also working on a sequel to Sky High. In 2023, it was announced that he would direct Kung Fu Panda 4, which came out in March 2024.

Awards and Recognition

Mike Mitchell has won awards for his work in film:

• Sundance Film Festival: "Frannie's Christmas" (1993).
• Aspen Shortsfest: 1999: Won special recognition for "Herd" (1999).
• Atlanta Film Festival: 1999: Won Honorable Mention for Best Narrative Short: "Herd" (1999).
• Movieguide Award: 2020: Won Best Movie for Families for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) (with Trisha Gum).

What He Has Directed

Movies He Directed

Helping with Stories

Mike Mitchell has also worked as a story artist, helping to shape the plot and visuals of animated films.

Voices You Might Know

Here are some of the characters Mike Mitchell has voiced in movies:

Other Roles Behind the Scenes

Mike Mitchell has also taken on other important roles in film production:

• Actor
  • Herd (1999) - Mailman
• Creative consultant
  • Kung Fu Panda (2008)
• Executive producer
  • Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
  • Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)

TV Shows He Worked On

Mike Mitchell has also contributed to television:

• The Itsy Bitsy Spider (1993)
• Cartoon Sushi (1998)
• Greg the Bunny (2002)
• SpongeBob SquarePants (2005–2007) (live action director, storyboard director and writer)
• The Loop (2007)
• Trolls: The Beat Goes On! (2018–) (based on characters created by)
• The Barbarian and the Troll (2021)

See also

In Spanish: Mike Mitchell (director) para niños