Bob Barlen
Robert George Barlen (born July 27, 1980) is a Canadian screenwriter and producer. He is best known for having co-written The Weinstein Company's animated film Escape from Planet Earth (2013), The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017), and Nickelodeon's PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021) and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (2023), all are in collaboration with his business partner Cal Brunker, who served as the director for these films.
Bob Barlen | |
|---|---|
 Bob Barlen during production of Escape from Planet Earth | |
| Born | Robert George Barlen July 27, 1980 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Ryerson University Canadian Film Centre |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Notable work | Escape from Planet Earth The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature PAW Patrol: The Movie PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie |
Career
Upon graduating from Ryerson University, Barlen attended the Directors' Lab at the Canadian Film Centre.[1]
He co-wrote the screenplay for Escape from Planet Earth,[2] which was released to theaters February 15, 2013.
Barlen produced and co-wrote the sequel The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, starring Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph and Katherine Heigl, which was theatrically released by Open Road Films on August 11, 2017.[3]
He co-wrote the screenplay for The Son of Bigfoot, a Belgian CGI-animated film, for nWave Pictures that was released in August 2017, and for Arctic Dogs, a Canadian CGI-animated feature film, for AMBI Pictures that was released in November 2019. His next screenplay work is Cranston Academy: Monster Zone, a Mexican-British-Canadian animated horror-comedy film starring Jamie Bell and Ruby Rose, which is produced by Ánima Estudios and Prime Focus World.[4]
On 21 February 2020, following the announcement, Barlen confirmed via his Twitter that he's collaborating with Brunker once more as a co-writer, along with Billy Frolick, for PAW Patrol: The Movie, a film based on the popular Nick Jr. Channel animated series, PAW Patrol.[5][6] It was released on August 20, 2021, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master, and distributed by Paramount Pictures.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Miscellaneous | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Deportation at Breakfast | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Short film |
| 2003 | Enrico, Stammi Vicino | No | No | No | Yes | Short film Cinematographer |
| 2007 | Push and Turn | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Short film Co-written with David Knobel |
| 2009 | Ollie & the Baked Halibut | No | No | No | Yes | Short film Titles First collaboration with animator Cal Brunker |
| 2009 | Ninjamaica | No | No | Line | No | Television film |
| 2013 | Escape from Planet Earth | No | Yes | No | No | Co-written with Cal Brunker Feature film debut |
| 2017 | The Son of Bigfoot | No | Yes | Executive | No | Co-written with Cal Brunker |
| 2017 | The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Cal Brunker and Scott Bindley Voice of Handsome Mouse |
| 2019 | Arctic Dogs | No | Yes | No | No | Co-written with Matt Lyon, Cal Brunker, Aaron Woodley, and Bryan Thompson |
| 2019 | The Puppet Master | No | Yes | Yes | No | Short film Co-written with Cal Brunker |
| 2020 | Cranston Academy: Monster Zone | No | Yes | No | No | Co-written with Cal Brunker |
| 2020 | Bigfoot Family | No | Yes | Executive | No | Co-written with Cal Brunker; sequel to The Son of Bigfoot |
| 2021 | PAW Patrol: The Movie[6] | No | Yes | Associate | No | Co-written with Cal Brunker and Billy Frolick |
| 2023 | PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie | No | Yes | Associate | No | Co-written with Cal Brunker; sequel to PAW Patrol: The Movie |
References
- "The Canadian Film Centre :: Alumni". Cfccreates.com. 2013-01-28. Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
- Fleming, Mike. "Animated Film 'Escape From Planet Earth' Gets Voice Cast". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
- Hipes, Patrick. "'The Nut Job 2' Gets May 2017 Release Date". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
- Grater, Tom (1 November 2019). "Jamie Bell, Ruby Rose To Voice Animation 'Cranston Academy: Monster Zone' For DDI – AFM". Deadline. Deadline. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- Barlen, Bob (21 February 2020). "Bob Barlen on Twitter: "Excited to share what @calbrunker and I have..." Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- Galuppo, Mia (21 February 2020). "'PAW Patrol' Feature Coming From Paramount, Spin Master". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 March 2020.