Tony Leondis facts for kids

Anthony Leondis (born March 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. He is known for directing popular animated movies. Some of his well-known films include The Emoji Movie, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, and Igor. He also worked on a film for DreamWorks Animation called B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, which was not released.

Anthony Leondis's Career in Animation

Starting in Animation

Tony Leondis studied at CalArts, a famous art school. His professor, Brenda Chapman, helped him get an internship. This was a chance to work on the film The Prince of Egypt. After about six months, Leondis became a full-time story artist for the movie.

He started his career as a story artist. This means he helped draw the storyboards, which are like comic book versions of the movie. He worked on films like The Prince of Egypt and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. Later, he joined DisneyToon Studios. There, he helped write the script for Kronk's New Groove.

Directing Animated Films

Leondis directed his first movie, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, in 2005. This was a direct-to-video film. In 2008, he directed his first animated movie for cinemas, Igor. This movie was made for Exodus Film Group.

After 2009, he started directing a ghost-themed animated film at DreamWorks Animation. Leondis first thought of the film as a school story called BOO U. Over time, the story changed a lot. He also directed the Kung Fu Panda short film, Secrets of the Masters.

The B.O.O. Project

By 2012, his ghost film was called B.O.O. Otherworldly Operations Office. It began its main production phase. Leondis directed this version of the film. Ryan O'Loughlin joined him as a co-director.

The film was later named B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations. It was based on Leondis's original idea. The movie was planned for release in 2015. However, by late 2014, it was removed from DreamWorks' schedule. The studio decided not to release it. This was partly due to problems DreamWorks had in 2013 and 2014.

The studio that was helping animate B.O.O., Pacific Data Images, closed down. This stopped the film's production. Reports said the movie was 60% animated when it was canceled. In 2015, Leondis left DreamWorks. He then started working on his next animated film.

Directing The Emoji Movie

In 2017, Leondis directed and co-wrote The Emoji Movie. This film was made by Sony Pictures Animation. Leondis presented his idea for the movie to the studio. He wrote the script with Eric Siegel. A producer named Tripp Vinson said that many studios believed Emoji Movie could become a series of films.

Leondis said that Emoji Movie was made very quickly. Sony wanted to release it fast because cell phone technology changes quickly. They did not want the movie to feel old. Also, no one owned the rights to make an emoji movie. So, any studio could have made one first. They had little time to test if the movie worked well.

The film was released on July 28, 2017. It made a lot of money at the box office. However, many movie critics did not like it. Leondis received two Razzie Awards. These awards are given to films that are considered the worst of the year. He won for Worst Director and Worst Screenplay. He shared the screenplay award with Eric Siegel and Mike White. This made Leondis the first animation director to win these awards. Since then, Leondis has not been very active in the entertainment industry. He still makes public appearances sometimes. His most recent appearance was in June 2022 at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Awards and Nominations