Kris Pearn is a Canadian animation director and producer. He has directed films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013, with Cody Cameron) and The Willoughbys (2020).
Kris Pearn is a Canadian animation director and producer. He has directed films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013, with Cody Cameron) and The Willoughbys (2020).
Pearn was born in Ontario, Canada, where his family owned a small donkey farm. [1] Pearn attended the Strathroy District Collegiate Institute and Sheridan College..
Pearn's storyboarding for Open Season (2006) earned him an Annie nomination for "Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production". [2]
Pearn and Cody Cameron co-directed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013), the first director credit for each. [3] The duo took over from directing team Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, announced as directors in December 2011. The voices of Sentinel Peter and Labcoat Jenny were provided by Pearn. The duo received a nomination for Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature. [4]
Pearn's storyboard work for Arthur Christmas (2011) earned him an Annie Award nomination for "Storyboarding in a Feature Production". [5] He was also the voice of one of the elves in the film.
Pearn returned to the Open Season film series, working on the story for Open Season: Scared Silly (2015). In 2017, he wrote the animated television film The Great Northern Candy Drop. [6]
Pearn wrote and directed The Willoughbys (2020), an animated comedy released on Netflix. Pearn also developed the story, and co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Stanleigh. He was brought onto the production four years before its release, [1] securing distribution by Netflix early in their venture into commissioning animation. [1] While the source book made fun of children's literature, he pivoted the production to poke at children's movie tropes. [1] Pearn and character designer Craig Kellman had worked together previously, but he suggests that this was the first time they "could really do whatever we craved." [1] The film's score is by Mark Mothersbaugh, who had previously worked with Pearn on Cloudy 2.
In December 2024, he was hired to direct an upcoming Ghostbusters animated film. [7]
He has taught Character Design at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Away from animation, Pearn has illustrated the book Project Superhero , written by E. Paul Zehr, a professor of kinesiology and neuroscience. The two met at TEDx Edmonton 2012 where Zehr was giving a talk on "the superhero in you". [8] [9]
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes & ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Storyboard artist | Voice Role | |||
| 2006 | Open Season | No | No | Yes | — | [2] |
| 2007 | Surf's Up | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2008 | Open Season 2 | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2009 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | No | No | Yes | — | Also head of story [3] |
| 2011 | Arthur Christmas | No | No | Yes | Elf | [5] |
| 2012 | The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2013 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Yes | No | No | Sentinel Peter / Labcoat Jenny | [3] |
| 2015 | Open Season: Scared Silly | No | Story | No | — | |
| 2015 | Shaun the Sheep Movie | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2015 | Home | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2017 | The Great Northern Candy Drop | No | Yes | No | — | Also executive producer [6] |
| 2018 | Early Man | No | No | Yes | — | |
| 2020 | The Willoughbys | Yes | Yes | No | Spoons McGee | Also executive producer [1] |
| 2024 | The Tiger's Apprentice | No | No | Yes | — | |
| TBA | Untitled Ghostbusters animated film | Yes | No | No | — | In production [7] |
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | February 11, 2007 | Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Open Season | Nominated | [2] |
| February 4, 2012 | Arthur Christmas | Nominated | [5] | ||
| April 16, 2021 | Best Animated Feature | The Willoughbys | Nominated | [10] | |
| Critics' Choice Super Awards | January 10, 2021 | Best Animated Movie | The Willoughbys | Nominated | [11] |
| Satellite Awards | February 23, 2014 | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | Nominated | [4] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
