Dean DeBlois
Dean DeBlois ( ; born 7 June 1970) is a Canadian film director, film producer, screenwriter, and animator. He is best known for writing and directing the Oscar-nominated animated films "Lilo & Stitch" for Walt Disney Animation Studios (with Chris Sanders), the "How to Train Your Dragon" film trilogy for DreamWorks Animation (the first film also with Sanders), and directing the documentary "Heima" about the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. Early life. DeBlois was born and raised in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada. As a boy he was interested in comic books, which he later said influenced his drawing ability, imagination and storytelling . Growing up poor, he would visit a nearby smoke shop on weekends, where the proprietor let him read comics for free. Memorizing them, he went home and drew. DeBlois attended Darcy McGee High School. Career. DeBlois began his career as an assistant animator and layout artist for Hinton Animation Studios/Lacewood Productions in Ottawa, Ontario, while simultaneously attending Sheridan College's three year Classical Animation program in Oakville, Ontario. From 1988 to 1990, DeBlois contributed to such productions as "The Raccoons" (TV series), "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" (TV special), and "The Nutcracker Prince" (feature animated film). Upon graduation from Sheridan  College in 1990, DeBlois was hired by Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin, Ireland. There, he worked as a layout artist, character designer, and storyboard assistant to Don Bluth on such feature animated films as "A Troll in Central Park" and "Thumbelina". In 1994, DeBlois left Dublin for Los Angeles to begin work for Walt Disney Feature Animation as a storyboard artist, where he worked alongside his frequent collaborator, Chris Sanders, as Head of Story on "Mulan". Shortly thereafter, they re-teamed to create "Lilo & Stitch". Following its release in 2002, DeBlois sold several original live action feature film projects to  write, direct, and produce, including an Irish ghost story titled "The Banshee and Finn Magee", a psychological thriller titled "The Lighthouse", and a family adventure series titled "Sightings", which were optioned at Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, and Universal Studios respectively. DeBlois' feature-length music documentary film "Heima" chronicles the homecoming concert of Iceland's Sigur Rós. In October 2008, DeBlois returned to feature animation to co-write and co-direct DreamWorks Animation's then-troubled "How to Train Your Dragon", once again re-teaming with Sanders. The duo re-envisioned the film's story and shepherded the production to  its March 2010 release. The resulting film became the studio's top-grossing film in North America outside of the "Shrek" franchise. During that same time, DeBlois also directed another feature-length music film for Sigur Rós front-man Jónsi, entitled "Go Quiet", as well as a feature-length concert film entitled "Jónsi: Live at The Wiltern". DeBlois wrote and directed the fantasy/action film "How to Train Your Dragon 2", a sequel to the original, which was released on June 13, 2014, followed by "" on February 22, 2019. On September 23, 2019, it was announced that DeBlois would make  his live action filmmaking debut when he was attached to write and direct a film adaptation of the Micronauts. Personal life. DeBlois is openly gay, and told "The Advocate" that people in the industry "knew that one of us was gay" but mistakenly assumed it was his straight screenwriting partner Chris Sanders, because DeBlois "hobbled in there looking like a redneck." Filmography. Commercials. Directed commercials for "HP.com".