Phil Lord and Christopher Miller facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
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Lord (left) and Miller (right) at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
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| Born |
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| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) | Robyn Murgio (Miller) |
| Children | 2 (Miller) |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) |
Philip Anderson Lord (born July 12, 1975) and Christopher Robert Miller (born September 23, 1975) are American filmmakers. They are a creative duo known for writing, directing, and producing many popular animated and live-action movies and TV shows.
Some of their most famous works include the animated films Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and The Lego Movie (2014). They also directed the live-action comedy 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel 22 Jump Street (2014).
Lord and Miller are especially celebrated for their work on the Spider-Verse film series. They won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). They also produced the sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), which was nominated for the same award.
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Becoming Filmmakers
Phil Lord grew up in Miami, Florida. His mother was a psychologist, and his father worked in aviation and directed a dance company. Christopher Miller is from the Seattle area, where his father ran a lumber mill.
Both Phil and Chris loved making short films and animation from a young age. They both attended Dartmouth College. While there, they each had their own comic strips in the school newspaper.
A newspaper article about Chris caught the eye of Michael Eisner, who was the head of Disney at the time. Chris agreed to meet with Disney executives, but only if he could bring Phil along. After this meeting, they moved to Los Angeles and were offered a two-year deal to develop projects for Walt Disney Television Animation.
Starting Their Career
Even though their early ideas at Disney didn't become TV shows, Lord and Miller created a pilot for an animated show called Clone High. Fox didn't pick it up at first.
Later, MTV became interested and ordered a full season of Clone High. The show was well-liked by critics. However, it caused some controversy in India because of how it showed the character of Gandhi. Because of this, MTV decided to cancel the series.
In 2003, they were asked to write a movie script for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They worked on it for a year but were then replaced. After a new team also struggled, Lord and Miller were hired back in 2006.
They completely rewrote the script, working closely with their team. The new story was about a failed inventor trying to prove himself. The head of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal, felt the story needed a stronger emotional connection. So, Lord and Miller changed a small character into the main character's father, creating the family bond the film needed. This experience taught them how important teamwork and emotion are in storytelling. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was released in 2009 and got great reviews.
Big Successes
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After Cloudy, Lord and Miller wanted to try something different. They suggested they direct the live-action comedy 21 Jump Street. The studio agreed, and the movie was a big hit with both critics and audiences. This led to a sequel, 22 Jump Street.
While making 21 Jump Street, they pitched an idea for a Lego movie to Warner Bros. The studio loved their idea, and Lord and Miller wrote and directed The Lego Movie. This became their third feature film together.
They were also chosen by Sony Pictures Animation in 2015 to create an animated Spider-Man film. This project turned into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which they produced, and Phil Lord helped write. The movie was a huge success and won many awards.
In 2017, Lord and Miller started directing Solo: A Star Wars Story, a movie about the character Han Solo. However, they left the project partway through filming due to "creative differences" with Lucasfilm. This means they had different ideas about how the movie should be made. Ron Howard then took over as director. Lord and Miller still received executive producer credits for their work on the film.
Recent and Future Projects
In 2021, Lord and Miller produced two animated films for Netflix. One was The Mitchells vs. the Machines for Sony Pictures Animation.
They also developed a TV series called The Afterparty for Apple TV+. This show is a murder mystery comedy where each episode tells the story of the same night from a different character's point of view. Christopher Miller created and directed the series, with Phil Lord also serving as an executive producer. The show premiered in 2022 and was praised by critics.
Lord and Miller returned as producers and writers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which came out in 2023. They decided to split the story into two parts because it was too big for one movie. The second part is now called Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Its release date was delayed due to production challenges, including a strike by actors.
In the future, Lord and Miller have a deal with Sony Pictures Television to develop animated Marvel series. They are also set to direct a movie called Project Hail Mary, based on a novel by Andy Weir, with Ryan Gosling starring.
Awards and Recognition
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have won many awards for their creative work.
- They won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2019.
- They also won a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film for The Lego Movie in 2015.
- Their films have won Golden Globe Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and Annie Awards.
- In 2023, both Phil Lord and Christopher Miller received honorary degrees from their old college, Dartmouth College.
Images for kids
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Miller and Lord at the 2015 WonderCon.
