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 filmmaker, actor, and animator. He is famous for directing many popular animated and live-action movies. Some of his best-known films are Sky High (2005), Shrek Forever After (2010), Trolls (2016), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024).

Early Life and Schooling

Mike Mitchell was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After graduating from Putnam City North High School, he moved to Los Angeles. There, he studied at the famous California Institute of the Arts, a school known for training talented artists and animators.

Career in Filmmaking

Mitchell began his career directing for the animated series The Itsy Bitsy Spider. He first got major attention for his short film Herd, which he co-wrote, produced, and directed. The film won several awards in 1999. That same year, he directed his first full-length movie, the comedy Deuce Bigalow: ....

Over the years, Mitchell has worked with major movie studios like Disney, DreamWorks, Universal, and Sony.

Working with DreamWorks Animation

In 2006, Mitchell joined DreamWorks Animation, where he worked on some of the biggest animated movies. He was a story artist for Shrek the Third and helped with ideas for Kung Fu Panda.

Later, he directed the fourth movie in the Shrek series, Shrek Forever After. In that film, he also voiced a funny character named Butterpants. He also directed the hit movies Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 4.

Voice Acting and Other Projects

Besides directing, Mitchell has also been a voice actor in several films. He voiced a character in Monsters vs. Aliens and played Andy "Jack" Beanstalk in Puss in Boots.

He also worked on television shows, including directing and writing for SpongeBob SquarePants. He directed the live-action parts of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.

Awards and Recognition

Mike Mitchell's work has earned him several awards throughout his career.

• Sundance Film Festival: For his short film "Frannie's Christmas" (1993).
• Aspen Shortsfest: Won special recognition for his short film "Herd" (1999).
• Atlanta Film Festival: Won an Honorable Mention for "Herd" (1999).
• Movieguide Award: Won Best Movie for Families for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019).

Filmography

As a Director

As a Story Artist

As a Voice Actor

Other Movie Credits

Actor

Creative Consultant

• Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Executive Producer

• Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
• Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)

Television Work

• 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