David Soren | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | Sheridan College |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1995–present |
Employer(s) | DreamWorks Animation (1999–2018) Paramount Animation (2020–present) |
Notable work | Turbo Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Under the Boardwalk |
David Soren (born April 19, 1973) [1] [2] is a Canadian director, writer, voice actor, and storyboard artist at DreamWorks Animation. His most notable work are TV specials based on the Madagascar film franchise: Merry Madagascar and Madly Madagascar . He directed the 2013 animated feature film Turbo , which is based on his own original concept, as well as the 2017 animated film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie based on Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants book series. [3]
Soren was born in Toronto, Canada, was raised in Hamilton, [4] and graduated from Sheridan College. His final student project, an animated short film, Mr. Lucky, received many accolades, and was accepted into competition for the 1997 Academy Award. Before joining DreamWorks Animation, he worked at Toronto-based Nelvana as an animator and storyboard artist.
At DreamWorks, he worked as a story artist on Chicken Run , Shrek and Over the Hedge , and as head of story on Shark Tale . [5] In 2009, he directed and wrote his first film, a TV Christmas special, Merry Madagascar , followed by a 2013 TV Valentine's Day special, Madly Madagascar , also written and directed by Soren. [6]
Soren made his feature directorial debut in 2013, directing Turbo. It received mixed-to-positive reviews which won him an Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production. He was also the creative consultant on its television series, Turbo Fast.
He voiced the muscle-sized baby Jimbo in The Boss Baby and directed his second feature film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie and voiced Tommy which is based on Dav Pilkey's comic books Captain Underpants, which the movie and books would later get adapted into an Netflix television series titled The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants . However, Soren was not involved with the show. He reprised his role as Jimbo in The Boss Baby's sequel, The Boss Baby: Family Business.
Soren directed a full-length feature film for Paramount Animation titled Under the Boardwalk . [7] [8]
In February 2023, Radar Pictures acquired the rights to make a feature film based on Geronimo Stilton . The film is a co-production between Radar and Italian company Atlantyca Entertainment, which also produced the television series, with DreamWorks Animation veteran David Soren attached to write and direct and Anthony Tringali, Michael Napoliello and Maria Frisk set to produce under Radar Pictures. [9]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Storyboard artist | |
Chicken Run | Additional storyboard artist | ||
2001 | Shrek | Story artist | |
2004 | Shark Tale | Shrimp/Worm/Starfish #1/Killer Whale #2 | Head of story/actor |
2006 | Over the Hedge | Story artist | |
2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Lemur | Actor |
2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Special thanks | |
2013 | Turbo | Worker Snail #1, Can't Tuck Snail, Gagné Crew Chief, Indy Network Executive, Newspaper Boy, Autotune Kid | Director/writer/actor |
2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | Special thanks | |
2017 | The Boss Baby | Jimbo | Actor/special thanks |
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | Tommy | Director/additional screenplay material/actor | |
2019 | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Special thanks (uncredited) | |
2021 | The Boss Baby: Family Business | Jimbo | Actor |
2023 | Under the Boardwalk | Yoga Crab | Director/writer |
TBD | Geronimo Stilton | Director/writer |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Merry Madagascar | Lookout lemur/additional lemurs | Director/writer |
2010 | Neighbors from Hell | Josh Hellman | Actor |
2013 | Madly Madagascar [6] | Director/writer | |
2013–2016 | Turbo FAST | Creative consultant |
Captain Underpants is an illustrated children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, an aptly named superhero from one of the boys' homemade comic books, who accidentally becomes real when George and Harold hypnotize their cruel, bossy, and ill-tempered principal, Mr. Krupp. From the third book onwards, Mr. Krupp also possesses superhuman strength, durability and flight as a result of drinking Alien "Extra-Strength Super Power Juice".
David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, Captain Underpants, and its spin-off children's graphic novel series Dog Man, the latter published under the respective writer and illustrator pen names of George Beard and Harold Hutchins, which are also the names of the two protagonists of the Captain Underpants series.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants is an American children's novel by Dav Pilkey, and the inaugural novel of the Captain Underpants series. It was published in September 1997, becoming a hit with children around the world. In the novel, George Beard and Harold Hutchins turn their principal, Mr. Krupp, into the "greatest superhero of all time", The Amazing Captain Underpants. It has spawned many sequels and subseries such as Super Diaper Baby, Dog Man, and The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future.
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 49 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, The Wild Robot, was released on September 27, 2024. They have an upcoming theatrical slate of films, which includes Dog Man on January 31, 2025, The Bad Guys 2 on August 1, 2025, Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie on September 26, 2025, and Shrek 5 on July 1, 2026.
Geronimo Stilton is an Italian children's chapter book series created by Elisabetta Dami and written under the pen name of the title character. Scholastic Corporation began publishing the English version of the series in the US in February 2004. In the UK, the English books are published by Sweet Cherry Publishing. The series is set on a fictional version of Earth dominated by anthropomorphic mice and rats and focuses on the title character, a mouse who lives in New Mouse City on Mouse Island. A best-selling author in-universe, Geronimo Stilton, works as editor and publisher for the newspaper, The Rodent's Gazette. He has a younger sister named Thea Stilton, a cousin named Trap Stilton, and a nephew, nine-year-old Benjamin Stilton. Geronimo is a nervous, mild-mannered mouse who prefers a quiet life, yet keeps getting into faraway adventures with Thea, Trap, and Benjamin in both fictional and real locations. The books are written as fictional memoirs of him on these adventures. The books are designed and distributed in full color, depicting important words in the text as colored and in illustrative typefaces.
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby is a 2002 children's graphic novel by American author Dav Pilkey, credited on the cover as in-universe authors George Beard and Harold Hutchins. The book is a spin-off of Pilkey's Captain Underpants series. It follows a baby named Billy who gains superpowers shortly after birth. Billy teams up with a super-powered dog, Diaper Dog, to fight Diaper Dog's former master, a sentient piece of feces named Deputy Dangerous.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 1955 children's picture book written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. Published by HarperCollins Publishers, it is Johnson's most popular book, and has led to a series of other related books, as well as many adaptations. The story is written in third-person point-of-view, and follows a young boy on an imaginative adventure through the night.
Thomas McGrath is an American voice actor, animator and filmmaker. He is known for the DreamWorks animated film Madagascar, which he co-wrote and directed with Eric Darnell while voicing the character of Skipper the Penguin. The film spawned two direct sequels. along with a spin-off animated series and film based on the penguins in which McGrath reprised his role as Skipper. McGrath also directed the DreamWorks animated films Megamind (2010) and The Boss Baby (2017), the latter of which received an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nomination. McGrath returned as director for its 2021 sequel.
Mireille Soria is an American film producer, most notable for working at DreamWorks Animation on many of their films and for producing the animated sitcom Neighbors from Hell.
Madagascar is an American media franchise owned and produced by DreamWorks Animation. The voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are featured in the films. It began with the 2005 film Madagascar, the 2008 sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and the third film Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted in 2012. A spin-off film featuring the penguins, titled Penguins of Madagascar, was released in 2014. A fourth main film, Madagascar 4, was announced for 2018, but has since been removed from its schedule indefinitely due to the studio's restructuring.
Turbo is a 2013 American animated sports comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by David Soren from a screenplay he co-wrote with Darren Lemke and Robert Siegel. It stars the voices of Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez, and Samuel L. Jackson. Set in Los Angeles, the film follows an ordinary garden snail Theo/Turbo (Reynolds) who pursues his dream of winning the Indy 500 after a freak accident gives him superspeed.
Thomas Steven Middleditch is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his role as Richard Hendricks in the HBO series Silicon Valley (2014–2019), earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He has voiced Penn Zero in the Disney XD animated series Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2014–2017), Harold Hutchins in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), Sam Coleman in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Terry in the Hulu adult animated sci-fi series Solar Opposites. Middleditch also appears in ads for Verizon Wireless.
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot is the twelfth and final book in the Captain Underpants series, written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey. The book continues after the eleventh book as George, Harold, and their clones switch places, only to find their gym teacher Mr. Meaner has become Sir Stinks-A-Lot, who turns his students into slaves. The boys team up with their adult counterparts to save the world.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a 2017 American animated superhero comedy film based on Dav Pilkey's children's novel series, titled Captain Underpants, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by David Soren from a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller, and stars the voices of Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll, Thomas Middleditch, Jordan Peele, and Kristen Schaal. The film was released during the 20th anniversary of the Captain Underpants series. In the film, fourth-grade pranksters, named George and Harold, hypnotize their humorless principal, named Mr. Krupp, into thinking he is a superhero, named Captain Underpants. The movie loosely adapts the first, the second, the fourth, and the eleventh Captain Underpants books.
The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants is an American animated television series produced by DreamWorks Animation Television. Developed for television by Peter Hastings and Mark Banker, it is a sequel to the 2017 feature film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, based on the Captain Underpants book series by Dav Pilkey.
Dog Man is an upcoming American animated action comedy film based on Dav Pilkey's children's graphic novel series Dog Man, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. A spin-off and story within a story of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) and the second film in the Captain Underpants franchise, it is being directed by Peter Hastings. The film stars the voices of Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, and Ricky Gervais.
The Croods: Family Tree is an American animated television series that is produced by DreamWorks Animation under DreamWorks Animation Television. The series is based on the 2013 animated film The Croods, taking place after the events of the Golden Globe nominated film, The Croods: A New Age (2020). The series was released on September 23, 2021, with a second season premiered April 5, 2022, and a third season premiered on June 2, 2022. A fourth season premiered on August 31, 2022. A fifth season premiered on November 25, 2022. A sixth season premiered on March 30, 2023. A seventh season premiered on July 27, 2023, while the eighth season premiered on November 9, 2023.