Alessandro Carloni

Last updated
Alessandro Carloni
Born1978 (age 45–46)
Bologna, Italy
Alma mater University of Milan
Occupation(s)Film director, writer, animator, storyteller
Years active1997–present
Employer DreamWorks Animation
Known for the Kung Fu Panda series
the How to Train Your Dragon film series
Spouse
Nicolette Davenport
​
​
(m. 2016)​

Alessandro Carloni is an Italian film director, writer, animator, and art director, best known for his work with DreamWorks Animation in general, [1] particularly the Kung Fu Panda films. He co-directed Kung Fu Panda 3 , alongside Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

Contents

Biography

Born in Bologna, Carloni spent his childhood in Urbino, a walled city and World Heritage site southwest of Pesaro, known for its remarkable legacy of independent Renaissance culture and for being the birthplace of Renaissance master Raphael Santi. But Carloni was not a young artist, at least not officially. Not even though his father worked as an illustrator for magazines, book covers and advertisements. "I was exposed to his work, but he never pushed me to be part of his studio," Carloni says. "He taught me many things. He wanted me to explore on my own." He became an artist almost despite himself. Carloni entered the University of Milan as a literature major, but to earn money, he began selling drawings. "I got little jobs through my friends to help pay for meals and money here and there," he says. "Small things like invitation tickets for clubs." Those little jobs helped change his future. "It made me understand that my true passion was visual storytelling," he says. "I cared about that more than continuing my studies." A friend in Germany suggested he apply to Munich Animation, and soon Carloni was an in-betweener. "I drew all the tedious drawings," he says. But, that led to work as an animator, a story artist, a director, an art director, a character designer, a sculptor, and an animation supervisor for commercials, music videos, and feature films in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. Then, in 2000, he co-directed an award-winning animated short film through Munich Animation with writer-director Gabriele Pennacchioli. The studio envisioned the film, The Shark and the Piano, as a marketing tool. "It was still a time when American studios sent portions of their 2D feature films to Europe to produce," Carloni says, "so we decided to make a film to show what we could do." But, by the time they approached the American studios, those studios had turned their focus to 3D. [2]

Since joining DreamWorks Animation in 2002, Carloni served as lead animator on Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and Shark Tale, an animation supervisor on Kung Fu Panda , a story artist on Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Croods , and head of story on the first two How to Train Your Dragon movies and as a story artist on The Hidden World. [3] For his work on Kung Fu Panda, he was nominated in the category Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production at the 36th Annie Awards. [4] In early 2012, Carloni was attached as a director to the computer-animated/traditionally animated film Me and My Shadow for DWA, replacing the original director Mark Dindal. [5] By early 2013, the film had returned into development following massive lay-offs at DWA. [6] By early 2015, Carloni had joined Jennifer Yuh Nelson to help her co-directing Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), in order to meet its release dateline. [3]

In 2017, he was hired by Skydance Media to direct an animated film, titled Luck , but left the project in early 2020 over creative differences. [7] [8] In 2017, it was also announced that he was co-directing with Jean-Philippe Vine Locksmith Animation's first animated film, Ron's Gone Wrong , but, by early 2020, he had left the position. [9] [10] In June 2023, Carloni was announced to be co-writing and co-directing Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's The Cat in the Hat alongside Erica Rivinoja. [11]

Filmography

TitleYearRole
The Fearless Four 1997Assistant animator
Tobias and His Lion1999Rough animator
A Fish Tale 2000Lead animator, sculptor
The Shark and the Piano2001Co-director, story developer, animation director, supervising effects animator, sculptures
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas 2003Lead animator: Sinbad
Shark Tale 2004Lead animator: Crazy Joe, story developer
First Flight 2006Storyboard artist
Over the Hedge Animator, storyboard artist
Kung Fu Panda 2008Animation supervisor, story artist, traditional animator: Mr. Ping (uncredited)
How to Train Your Dragon 2010Head of Story
Kung Fu Panda Holiday Head of character animation
Kung Fu Panda 2 2011Story artist
The Croods 2013
How to Train Your Dragon 2 2014Head of story
Kung Fu Panda 3 2016Co-director with Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Cake Wars Himself: guest judge
Made in Hollywood Himself: guest appearance (1 episodes)
Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition
Sidewalks Entertainment
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 2019Storyboard artist, story artist
Luca 2021Additional voices
Ron's Gone Wrong Creative Consultant
The Cat In The Hat 2026Co-director and co-writer with Erica Rivinoja
The Fourteenth GoldfishTBAExecutive producer [12]

Nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DreamWorks Animation</span> American animation studio

DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA) (also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio owned by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The studio has released a total of 48 feature films, including several of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Shrek 2 (2004) having been the highest at the time of its release. Its first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film was Kung Fu Panda 4 on March 8, 2024; their upcoming theatrical slate of films includes The Wild Robot on September 27, 2024, Dog Man on January 31, 2025, The Bad Guys 2 on August 1, 2025, and Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Damaschke</span> American film producer

William Damaschke is an American film executive and producer who currently serves as the president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Previously, he had spent 20 years at DreamWorks Animation, most recently as Chief Creative Officer, where he was involved in the creative, artistic, and operational direction of the company. His tenure oversaw the release of some of the company's big franchise films, including Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods. He also oversaw all of DreamWorks's live theatrical productions, including the award-winning Shrek the Musical. Damaschke’s other projects as a producer include the Broadway musical The Prom, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, which played at the Longacre Theatre from 15 November 2018 to 11 August 2019; the Broadway-bound musical Half Time, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, which was presented at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Spring of 2018; and the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge, directed by Alex Timbers, on which Damaschke serves as executive producer. He was also formerly the president of Skydance Animation.

<i>Kung Fu Panda</i> (film) 2008 DreamWorks Animation film

Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The first installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, it was directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, from a screenplay and story respectively written by the writing teams of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. The film stars the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan and Jackie Chan. The film, set in a version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals, centers on a bumbling panda bear named Po (Black), a kung-fu enthusiast living in the Valley of Peace. When the savage snow leopard Tai Lung (McShane) is foretold to escape imprisonment and attack the Valley, Po is unwittingly named the "Dragon Warrior", a prophesied hero worthy of reading a scroll that has been intended to grant its reader limitless power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Wells</span> English film director

Simon Finlay Wells is an English film director of animation and live-action films. He is the great-grandson of author H. G. Wells, and is best known for directing The Prince of Egypt with Brenda Chapman and Steve Hickner.

The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature is an Annie Award introduced in 1992, awarded annually to the best animated feature film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Osborne (filmmaker)</span> American film director, writer, producer and animator

Mark Randolph Osborne is an American film director, writer, producer and animator.

The 36th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2008, were held on January 30, 2009, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Below is a list of announced nominees. Kung Fu Panda received the most awards with 10, winning nearly all of its nominations, albeit amid controversy.

<i>Kung Fu Panda 2</i> 2011 DreamWorks Animation film

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 2011 American animated martial arts comedy-drama film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, the film is the sequel to Kung Fu Panda (2008), and the second installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. It stars Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong and Jackie Chan reprising their roles from the first film, with Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber voicing new characters. In the film, Po and his Furious Five allies travel to Gongmen City to stop the evil peacock Lord Shen from conquering China, while also rediscovering Po's forgotten past.

Kung Fu Panda is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that originally started in 2008 with the release of the animated film of the same name produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping, a giant panda who is improbably chosen as the prophesied Dragon Warrior and becomes a master of kung fu, the franchise is set in a fantasy wuxia genre version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals. Although everyone initially doubts him, including Po himself, he proves himself worthy as he strives to fulfill his destiny.

The 38th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation of 2010 was held February 5, 2011, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon was the big winner winning 10 out of its 15 nominations, sparking a big controversy over Disney and Pixar's boycott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Yuh Nelson</span> American film director

Jennifer Yuh Nelson is an American story artist, character designer, television director, illustrator, and film director. She is best known for directing the films Kung Fu Panda 2, Kung Fu Panda 3, and The Darkest Minds. Yuh is the first woman to solely direct and the first Asian American to direct a major American animated film, and has been recognized as a commercially successful Asian American director.

The Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production is an Annie Award, awarded annually to the best animated feature film and introduced in 1996. It rewards directing for animated feature films. The recipients are directors as well as co-directors.

Jonathan Robert Aibel and Glenn Todd Berger are American screenwriters and producers, who are best known for writing the Kung Fu Panda movies, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Trolls, and its sequel Trolls World Tour.

<i>Kung Fu Panda 3</i> 2016 DreamWorks Animation film

Kung Fu Panda 3 is a 2016 animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation, China Film Group Corporation, Oriental DreamWorks and Zhong Ming You Ying Film, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the third installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011). The film was directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni and written by the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.

The Annie Award for Storyboard in an Animated Feature Production is an Annie Award awarded annually to the best storyboard artist and introduced in 1995. It rewards animation of characters for animated feature films.

<i>Luck</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Peggy Holmes

Luck is a 2022 animated fantasy comedy film directed by Peggy Holmes and co-directed by Javier Abad, from a screenplay written by Kiel Murray, and a story by Murray and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, based on an original concept created by Rebeca Carrasco, Juan De Dios, and Julián Romero. Produced by Skydance Animation, the film features the voices of Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O'Donoghue, and John Ratzenberger. Set in the Land of Luck, the story follows the unluckiest person, Sam Greenfield (Noblezada), as she must unite with a talking black cat named Bob (Pegg) to turn her luck around.

Skydance Animation, LLC is an American animation studio that is a division of Skydance Media, founded on March 16, 2017. The studio is based in Los Angeles, with offices in East Hartford, Connecticut and Madrid, Spain; the Madrid branch was originally Ilion Animation Studios.

The Annie Award for Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production is an Annie Award given annually to the best animated direction in animated television or broadcast productions. Directing for television productions was first recognized at the 24th Annie Awards alongside feature film in the Best Achievement in Directing, though the next year a separate category would be created resulting in two directing categories, one for television/broadcasting productions and another for animated feature films.

The Annie Award for Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production is an Annie Award given annually to the best storyboarding in animated television or broadcasting productions. It was first presented at the 25th Annie Awards.

<i>Kung Fu Panda 4</i> 2024 DreamWorks Animation film

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). The film was directed by Mike Mitchell, co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine, written by Darren Lemke and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and produced by Rebecca Huntley. It features Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, and Ian McShane reprising their roles from the previous films, with Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, and Viola Davis joining the cast as new characters. In the film, Po (Black), who must find and train his successor as the new Dragon Warrior, teams up with fox bandit Zhen (Awkwafina) to defeat evil sorceress The Chameleon (Davis), before she steals the kung-fu abilities of all masters in China.

References

  1. ↑ Winder, Catherine; Dowlatabadi, Zahra; Miller-Zarneke, Tracey (2011). Producing Animation. Taylor & Francis. p. 44. ISBN   978-0-240-81535-0.
  2. ↑ Robertson, Barbara. "'Artist Profile: Alessandro Carloni". cgSociety. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Patten, Dominic (February 24, 2015). "'Kung Fu Panda 3' Gets Co-Director As DWA Looks To Shore Up Franchises". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  4. ↑ "36th Annual Annie Nominations and Awards Recipients" . Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  5. ↑ Kits, Borys (January 31, 2012). "DreamWorks Animation Sets Voice Cast for 'Me & My Shadow'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  6. ↑ Yamato, Jen (February 6, 2013). "DreamWorks Animation Layoffs Could Reach 500 Amid Slate Pullback". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (July 31, 2017). "'Shrek,' 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Directors Tapped for Animated Movies From Skydance". Variety. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ Kit, Borys (January 14, 2020). "Skydance Animation's First Film 'Luck' Lands New Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. ↑ Ritman, Aley (October 12, 2017). "Fox, Locksmith Animation Unveil 'Ron's Gone Wrong'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 13, 2020). "Disney Reschedules 'The New Mutants' & 'Ron's Gone Wrong'". Deadline. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 9, 2023). "New Warner Bros Pictures Animation Boss Bill Damaschke On Group Rebrand, New Mission, 'Flintstones' Pic & More". Deadline. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
  12. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 8, 2018). "Ted Melfi, Kimberly Quinn Tackling Children's Book 'The Fourteenth Goldfish' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 30, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.