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Chris Sanders

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For other people named Chris Sanders, see Chris Sanders (disambiguation).

Chris Sanders
Sanders at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards
Born
Christopher Michael Sanders

(1962-03-12) March 12, 1962 (age 62)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.[1]
Alma materCalifornia Institute of the Arts (BFA)
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
  • animator
  • illustrator
  • voice actor
Years active1984–present
Employers
Spouse
Jessica Steele-Sanders
​
​
(m. 2015)​
Children1
Signature

Christopher Michael Sanders (born March 12, 1962)[1] is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and directed with Dean DeBlois; The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco; The Call of the Wild (2020); and The Wild Robot (2024). He created the character Stitch in 1985, wrote the film's story, and voiced Stitch in almost all his media appearances.

Early life

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Sanders was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He went to Arvada High School in Arvada, Colorado. He is a 1984 graduate of the California Institute of the Arts.

Career

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Walt Disney Feature Animation

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Sanders created the Lilo & Stitch character Stitch in 1985, and voiced the character.

Sanders began his career as a character designer for Jim Henson's Muppet Babies. He then served as lead storyboard artist for Walt Disney Feature Animation, and was a storyboard artist, artistic director, production designer, and character designer on the company's films Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Mulan (1998).

In 1985, Sanders created a character named "Stitch" for an unsuccessful children's book pitch.[2] When Sanders was the head storyboard artist for Disney Feature Animation, then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner decided that, in the wake of a number of high-profile and large-budget Disney animated features during the mid-1990s, the studio might try its hand at a smaller and less expensive film.[2] Chris Sanders was approached by Thomas Schumacher to pitch that idea, and Sanders reused the "Stitch" character he came up with.[3] The storyline required a remote, non-urban location, so Sanders chose Kauaʻi as the location.[4] Stitch became the central character of the 2002 film Lilo & Stitch, which Sanders co-directed and co-wrote with Dean DeBlois. Sanders would also end up voicing the character he created for the film. The film's commercial and critical success spawned a franchise with three sequel films and three television series, with Sanders reprising his role of Stitch throughout the original 2002–06 run of the franchise (Sanders did not reprise his role for the English dub of the anime Stitch! or the English-language-produced Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai, with Ben Diskin taking over the role for both series), as well in several later Disney crossover works such as Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, and the Disney Infinity series.

In the late 1980s, Sanders created an allegorical picture book entitled The Big Bear Aircraft Company, with the subheading "A book for the big retreat" clarifying that it was created for a Disney offsite event. The Big Bear Aircraft Company is a thinly disguised version of Disney itself, and the book is critical of the creative process at the company, which prioritized "big ideas, figuring they will be big successes" and noted that if proposed aircraft (i.e., movie ideas) "don't look the same as the ones [that were] built before, [the boss, Big Bear] gets uncomfortable." After handing each idea pitched by the "visual engineer" to a writer who "likes airplanes" but "has actually never worked on one before, and couldn't tell you for sure what makes one fly", the story states the assigned writer "is guaranteed of making the same mistakes every time. He will make his airplane look like every one he's seen before ..." In the end, the head of the company, Big Bear, gets an airplane that is "a lot like last year's; not very inspiring and not very memorable. But people bought it before, and they'll probably buy it again. By playing it safe, he's insured his company's survival." However, since it is not the only aircraft company, these policies are destined to leave the company vulnerable to more imaginative competitors "with its wings of good reputation all shot off." The story concludes that Big Bear should instead give the visual engineers "the two things they need to do their job: Bear's trust and time" to allow smaller, more innovative ideas to flourish. Years later, to explain his motivation regarding the piece, Sanders wrote about his concern over "the ever-growing complexity of our films, and what I saw as an emerging pattern they were all cut from", citing the example that during the story development for Mulan, one of the major concerns was the manner of the villain's death rather than the idea that the villain had to die at all. This in turn motivated him to develop Lilo & Stitch, which he summarized as "a story about a villain who becomes a hero."[5]

By December 2006, Sanders had been removed as the director of the upcoming Disney animated film American Dog by John Lasseter. By March 2007, Sanders had been negotiating his exit from Disney.[6] After the departure of Sanders from Disney, directing duties were handed to Chris Williams and Byron Howard, and the film was retitled Bolt. Sanders later stated he had no ill will over being removed from the film, and hoped he could revisit some of his ideas in the future. He approved of the final film and the changes made, stating: "I think it would have been frustrating if the movie were essentially the same but with only slight changes. And I suppose my scenes and storylines are still sitting there on the shelf. I could actually pull them out and do them again. But it would be completely different."[7] Despite his departure from Disney, Sanders continues to voice Stitch in most official Disney media (except for the aforementioned Eastern-produced shows).

DreamWorks Animation

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By March 2007, Sanders had moved to DreamWorks Animation and had then taken over as director on Crood Awakening (later renamed to The Croods), a project previously in co-production with Aardman Animations before their departure from DreamWorks.[8] At the time, Sanders said about the move: "I've been so anxious to start working on things, and so I talked to a lot of people... I like the way DreamWorks looks at animation. Animation still has a lot of different places to go, and I don't want to miss out on a chance to try some new things with it."[8]

On September 24, 2008, it was reported that Sanders and DeBlois would be screenwriting and directing How to Train Your Dragon for DreamWorks Animation.[9] The film was released on March 26, 2010, and was a huge success with both critics and at the box office, grossing nearly $500 million worldwide. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score at the 83rd Academy Awards. The movie also won ten Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature.

After completing How to Train Your Dragon, Sanders returned to The Croods, which was released on March 22, 2013.[10] He shared directing and writing credits with Kirk DeMicco, who had joined in the middle of production. The film proved to be a success, grossing over $500 million.[11] Sanders and DeMicco then worked on The Croods sequel for three and a half years, before its cancellation in late 2016.[11][12] However, the sequel was revived in September 2017, although with Joel Crawford replacing both Sanders and DeMicco as director.[13][14] After the sequel was out, now titled The Croods: A New Age, Sanders and DeMicco were both credited for the story while Sanders reprised his role as Belt.

20th Century Studios/return to Disney

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In October 2017, it was announced that Sanders would be directing a new film adaptation of the 1903 Jack London novel The Call of the Wild for 20th Century Fox.[15][16] The film, his live-action and solo directorial debut, was released in February 2020. The film received mixed critical reception, with a 63% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (as of March 2024),[17] making it the lowest-received film in Sanders's directorial career thus far, and grossed $107.6 million[18][19] on a budget of $125–$150 million,[20] becoming Sanders's first directorial box-office bomb.

While it was speculated in February 2020 that Sanders would reprise his voice role of Stitch in the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch,[21] he claimed in a September 2022 interview that Disney had not yet approached him on reprising the role, although he stated that he was always open to returning to voice his creation.[22] In April 2023, it was confirmed he would reprise his role in the remake.[23]

Return to DreamWorks

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On September 28, 2023, it was revealed that Sanders would return to DreamWorks Animation to write and direct an animated film adaptation of Peter Brown's book series The Wild Robot.[24] The film was released in September 2024 to critical acclaim. The following month, Sanders confirmed that he would be directing a sequel to the film.[25]

Personal life

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Sanders is married to wife Jessica Steele-Sanders. Together, they wrote an illustrated novel, titled Rescue Sirens: The Search for the Atavist (2015).[26] In September 2023, Sanders filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences",[27] although he remains married to Steele-Sanders as of June 2024.[primary 1] Sanders also previously drew the webcomic Kiskaloo.

According to Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire, Sanders has a daughter named Nicole.[28]

Filmography

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Films

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Filmmaking credits

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Year Title Director Writer Other Notes
1991 Beauty and the Beast No Story Yes visual development artist
1992 Aladdin No Story No
1994 The Lion King No Story Yes production designer
1998 Mulan No Yes Yes story supervisor
1999 Fantasia 2000 No Concept No Segment "Pines of Rome"
2002 Lilo & Stitch Yes Yes Yes with Dean DeBlois; character designer
2010 How to Train Your Dragon Yes Yes No with Dean DeBlois
2013 The Croods Yes Yes No with Kirk DeMicco
2020 The Call of the Wild[16] Yes No No live action and solo directorial debut
The Croods: A New Age No Story No
2024 The Wild Robot Yes Yes No

Animation department

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Year Title Notes
1988 Garfield: His 9 Lives animation stylist (segment "Diana's Piano")
1990 The Rescuers Down Under character designer / visual development

Executive producer only

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Year Title Notes
2014 How to Train Your Dragon 2
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
2025 How to Train Your Dragon

Voice acting credits

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Year Title Role Notes
1998 Mulan Little Brother
1999 Tarzan Baby Baboon
2002 Lilo & Stitch Stitch Credited as "Christopher Michael Sanders"
2003 Stitch! The Movie direct-to-video
2003–2006 Lilo & Stitch: The Series Stitch, Experiment 627 television series
2004 The Lion King 1½ Stitch direct-to-video, archive audio
Stitch's Great Escape! theme park attraction
2005 Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch direct-to-video
The Origin of Stitch direct-to-video short
2006 Leroy & Stitch Stitch, Leroy, Leroy Clones direct-to-video
2013 The Croods Belt
2014 Penguins of Madagascar Antarctic Penguin
2020 The Croods: A New Age Belt
2023 Once Upon a Studio Stitch short film, archive audio
2025 Lilo & Stitch Post-production

Television series

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Year Title Episodes Credited as
1984-1988 Muppet Babies 60 model designer
1985 Little Muppet Monsters 1 ("In the Beginning")
1986-1987 The Glo Friends 26
1996 Quack Pack 2 storyboard artist
1998-1999 Histeria! 16

Video games

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Year Title Voice role Notes
1999 Tarzan Activity Center Baby Baboon
Tarzan
2002 Disney's Lilo & Stitch Stitch Vocal effects only
Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise
Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626
Lilo & Stitch: Hawaiian Adventure
2003 Lilo & Stitch's Island of Adventures
2005 Kingdom Hearts II English version (including add-on Final Mix+ in 2007)
2008 Disney Think Fast
2010 Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep English version
2011 Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
2013 Disney Magical World
2014 Disney Infinity 2.0
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Reused audio from Disney Infinity 2.0
2023 Disney Speedstorm Released in early access in April 2023 and fully released in September 2023; Stitch added in a July/August 2023 update
Disney Dreamlight Valley Released in early access in 2022; Stitch added in a December 2022 update

References

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  1. ^ a b "One on One Spotlight: Directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois". CTN animation eXpo. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  2. ^ a b The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' (DVD). Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2005.
  3. ^ Osmond, Andrew (December 31, 2002). "Lilo & Stitch Revisited: Part I". Animation World Network. AWN, Inc. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Davis, Pat (April–May 2002). "Disney Goes Hawaiian". Hana Hou!. 5 (2).
  5. ^ Amidi, Amid (July 27, 2011). "Read the Chris Sanders Storybook About What Was Wrong At Disney in the 1980s". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Holson, Laura M. (March 4, 2007). "He Runs That Mickey Mouse Outfit". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
  7. ^ Diamond, Ron (2019). On Animation The Director's Perspective Volume 2. CRC Press. p. 152. ISBN 9781351657785.
  8. ^ a b Fritz, Ben (March 27, 2007). "Sanders joins DreamWorks". Variety.
  9. ^ Amidi, Amid (September 25, 2008). "UPDATE: Chris Sanders Still Crood and Directing Dragon". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  10. ^ Finke, Nikki (September 9, 2012). "DreamWorks Animation's Release Schedule". Deadline. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "The Croods 2 in the Works at DreamWorks Animation". ComingSoon.net. April 17, 2013. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  12. ^ Rainey, James (November 11, 2016). "DreamWorks Animation and Universal Kill 'Croods 2' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  13. ^ Amidi, Amid (September 19, 2017). "Dreamworks Confirms 'The Croods' Sequel Is Back On, And Announces 'Spooky Jack'". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  14. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (October 18, 2017). "'Croods 2' Finds Its Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 12, 2017). "'Gambit' Starring Channing Tatum Will Open Valentine's Day 2019". Deadline. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Couch, Aaron (October 12, 2017). "'X-Men' Spinoff 'Gambit' Sets 2019 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  17. ^ "The Call of the Wild (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  18. ^ "The Call of the Wild (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  19. ^ "The Call of the Wild (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  20. ^ Pamela McClintock (February 20, 2020). "Box Office Preview: 'Sonic the Hedgehog' to Leave 'Call of the Wild' Out in the Cold". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  21. ^ Matt Kim (February 4, 2020). "Lilo & Stitch: Disney Plus Will Reportedly Release Live-Action Remake". IGN. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  22. ^ Weiss, Josh (September 13, 2022). "Original Co-Director of 'Lilo & Stitch' Has Thoughts About the Live-Action Remake". SYFY Wire. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  23. ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 21, 2023). "Chris Sanders in Final Talks to Return as Voice of Stitch in Disney's Live-Action 'Lilo & Stitch' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  24. ^ Taylor, Drew (September 28, 2023). "Director Chris Sanders Returns to DreamWorks Animation With 'The Wild Robot' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  25. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie; Ntim, Zac (October 12, 2024). "The Wild Robot Sequel In The Works At DreamWorks With Director Chris Sanders".
  26. ^ Flores, Terry (August 7, 2015). "Animation Writer-Directer Chris Sanders Co-Writes Mermaid Book 'Rescue Sirens'". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  27. ^ Coffey-Behrens, Kelly (September 25, 2023). "'Lilo & Stitch' Creator Chris Sanders Files For Divorce After 8 Years Of Marriage". Yahoo!. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  28. ^ Povenmire, Dan (May 19, 2022). Doofenshmirtz and Stitch Do A Duet (video). YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2022.

Primary sources

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  1. ^ Sanders, Chris (June 25, 2024). Tomorrow is 6/26 — Stitch Day! Here’s what Stitch got up to on the plane flight back from @Annecy Festival (pestering my wife @Jessica Steele-Sanders for snacks).⁣ (video). TikTok. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
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