# David Soren (animator)

David Soren (born April 19, 1973) 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.

## Early life and career

Soren was born in Toronto, Canada, was raised in Hamilton, 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. 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.
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 a 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.
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.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Film | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as | Credited as |
| Year | Film | Director | (Original) Story by | Producer | Other | Voice | Notes |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Storyboard artist |
| 2000 | Chicken Run | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Additional storyboard artist |
| 2001 | Shrek | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Story artist |
| 2004 | Shark Tale | No | Yes | No | Yes | Shrimp, Worm, Starfish #1, Killer Whale #2 | N/A |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Story artist |
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | No | No | No | Yes | Lemur | N/A |
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Special thanks |
| 2013 | Turbo | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Worker Snail #1, Can't Tuck Snail, Gagné Crew Chief, Indy Network Executive, Newspaper Boy, Autotune Kid | N/A |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | No | No | No | Yes | N/A | Special thanks |
| 2017 | The Boss Baby | No | No | No | Yes | Jimbo | Special thanks |
| 2017 | Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | Yes | No | No | Yes | Tommy | Additional screenplay material |
| 2021 | The Boss Baby: Family Business | No | No | No | Yes | Jimbo | N/A |
| 2023 | Under the Boardwalk | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yoga Crab | N/A |
| TBD | Geronimo Stilton | Yes | Yes | No | No | TBD | TBD |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Merry Madagascar | Lookout lemur/additional lemurs | Director/writer |
| 2010 | Neighbors from Hell | Josh Hellman | Actor |
| 2013 | Madly Madagascar | | Director/writer |
| 2013–2016 | Turbo FAST | | Creative consultant |