# Travis Knight

Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973) is an American animator, producer, director, actor, and former rapper. The son of the Nike co-founder Phil Knight, he has worked as the lead animator and current CEO for the stop-motion animation studio Laika, including directing the company's films Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and the upcoming Wildwood (2025). He also directed the live-action films Bumblebee (2018) and the upcoming Masters of the Universe (2026). Knight received three nominations for the Academy Awards.

## Early life

Knight was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. He is the son of Phil Knight (co-founder of Nike), and grandson of publisher William W. Knight. He attended Jesuit High School, near Beaverton, Oregon. He is a graduate of Portland State University.

## Career
### Music career

Knight began his career as a rapper under the name "Chilly Tee". Using a recording studio built in his father's mansion, Knight self-produced a five-song demo album. The demo caught the attention of Bernie Singleton, president of MCA, who passed the demo to producer Hank Shocklee, who liked the demo and agreed to produce Knight's debut album with his production team, The Bomb Squad.
Knight moved into his parents' Manhattan penthouse for six months while recording the album. The Bomb Squad helped him develop fleshed out choruses, as Shocklee felt that Knight was very skilled at writing verses, but his choruses were weak.
In 1993, Knight released the album Get Off Mine. According to Knight, the record did not sell well and he disliked performing. According to Shocklee, "One of the reasons why it didn't catch on was because it was one record that came out of nowhere, and rap is about building momentum." However, Shocklee is proud of the album, saying, "this record still holds up. You can play it now and it doesn't sound dated."

### Animation

After Travis Knight graduated from Portland State University, Knight's father had become an investor in Will Vinton Studios, and persuaded the company to hire Travis as an intern. He worked on the television series The PJs for Fox Studios and Gary & Mike on UPN, as well as television commercials and promo spots.
By 2003, Phil Knight became a controlling shareholder in Will Vinton Studios, and Travis Knight was promoted to the board of directors, despite having no management experience himself. Following the firing of Vinton, the Knights began to reorganize the failing studio, which was rebranded as Laika.
Since 2005, Travis Knight has served as Laika's vice president of animation. He was a producer and lead animator for Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014). He also sits on the Laika board of directors. Along with Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, Knight was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for The Boxtrolls.
He is the current president and CEO of Laika, along with serving on the board of directors of his father's company, Nike, Inc., a position he assumed in 2015.

### Directorial career

In 2014, Shannon Tindle pitched to Knight a fantasy project based on samurais, which Knight, a fan of fantasy films, approved for development. The film was announced in December, 2014, as Kubo and the Two Strings, while Knight was revealed to be producing and directing the film, marking his directorial debut. The film was released in 2016. Along with Arianne Sutner, Knight was again nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for Kubo and the Two Strings.
On March 2, 2017, Knight was revealed to be directing the live-action film Bumblebee from the Transformers film series, marking Knight's first time working on a live-action film, and his first time working in a film without acting as a producer. Knight, a fan of the G1 version of the franchise, used many elements from the G1 version in the film. Bumblebee was released on December 21, 2018, to positive reception from both critics and Transformers fans, with many calling it the best film in the franchise.
In April 2019, he was set to direct an adaptation of Six Million Dollar Man starring Mark Wahlberg. In September 2021, Knight was announced to direct a film adaptation of Wildwood, with Chris Butler writing the screenplay. In April 2022, he was announced to direct a new Laika stop-motion neo-noir film titled The Night Gardener.
On May 1, 2024, it was confirmed that Knight will direct a live-action Masters of the Universe movie for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films. The film is set for release on June 5, 2026.
On June 20, 2024, it was announced that Knight would direct an animated adaptation of the novel Piranesi.

## Personal life

Travis Knight, his wife Maryse Knight, and their family live in Oregon.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
| 2012 | ParaNorman | No | Yes | Also animator |
| 2014 | The Boxtrolls | No | Yes | Also animator |
| 2016 | Kubo and the Two Strings | Yes | Yes | Also animator |
| 2018 | Bumblebee | Yes | No | Live-action debut |
| 2019 | Missing Link | No | Yes | |
| 2025 | Wildwood | Yes | Yes | Post-production |
| 2026 | Masters of the Universe | Yes | No | Filming |

### Animator only

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2000 | Boyer Brothers | TV movie |
| 2000 | The PJs | Episode: "Haiti and the Tramp" |
| 2001 | Gary & Mike | |
| 2002 | Día de Los Muertos | Short film |
| 2005 | Moongirl | Short film |
| 2009 | Coraline | |

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
| 2010 | Annie Awards | Character Animation in a Feature Production | Coraline | Nominated |
| 2010 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Shared with Trey Thomas | Coraline | Nominated |
| 2012 | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Animated Feature Film Shared with Arianne Sutner | ParaNorman | Nominated |
| 2013 | Annie Awards | Character Animation in a Feature Production | ParaNorman | Won |
| 2013 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Animated Picture Shared with Arianne Sutner | ParaNorman | Nominated |
| 2013 | Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Shared with Arianne Sutner | ParaNorman | Nominated |
| 2013 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Shared with Chris Butler, Sam Fell & Brad Schiff | ParaNorman | Nominated |
| 2015 | Academy Awards | Best Animated Feature Shared with Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable | The Boxtrolls | Nominated |
| 2015 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Feature Production | The Boxtrolls | Nominated |
| 2015 | Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Shared with David Bleiman Ichioka | The Boxtrolls | Nominated |
| 2015 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Shared with Jason Stalman, Mike Laubach & Kyle Williams | The Boxtrolls | Nominated |
| 2015 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Shared with Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable & Brad Schiff | The Boxtrolls | Nominated |
| 2017 | Academy Awards | Best Animated Feature Shared with Arianne Sutner | Kubo and the Two Strings | Nominated |
| 2017 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Kubo and the Two Strings | Nominated |
| 2017 | British Academy Film Awards | Best Animated Film | Kubo and the Two Strings | Won |
| 2017 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Filmmaker | Kubo and the Two Strings | Nominated |
| 2017 | Producers Guild of America Award | Best Animated Motion Picture Shared with Arianne Sutner | Kubo and the Two Strings | Nominated |
| 2017 | Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature Shared with Steve Emerson, Brad Schiff and Arianne Sutner | Kubo and the Two Strings | Won |
| 2020 | Academy Awards | Best Animated Feature Shared with Arianne Sutner and Chris Butler | Missing Link | Nominated |
| 2020 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Animated Feature Film Shared with Arianne Sutner and Chris Butler | Missing Link | Won |