Joel Crawford, the Oscar-nominated director of DreamWorks Animation’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” and “The Croods: A New Age,” has signed with WME for representation in all areas.
Crawford started off at DreamWorks Animation after graduating from the California Institute of the Arts, serving as a story artist on “Shrek Forever After,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Bee Movie.” He would later work on “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Rise of the Guardians,” “Kung Fu Panda 3” and “Trolls.” As a story artist, he also contributed to “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water” and “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.”
He made his directorial debut with the “Trolls Holiday” television special in 2017 and his feature directorial debut with 2020’s “The Croods: A New Age,” which was a box office hit even in the midst of the pandemic and earned him his first Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Feature.
In 2022, Crawford returned with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” the sequel to 2011’s “Puss in Boots.” The film — which saw the voice talents of Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek return, this time joined by Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman and John Mulaney, among others — employed a bold, illustrative art style. The film became a huge hit, earning $485.3 million at the global box office and earning Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Best Animated Feature. (It also successfully rejuvenated the “Shrek” franchise, and a fifth film due next year.)
Crawford is currently a member of the creative leadership group at DreamWorks Animation, serving in an advisory capacity on recent films like “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “The Wild Robot.” He is also in development on his own original feature at the studio.
