Conrad Vernon
Conrad Vernon (born July 11, 1968)[2] is an American voice actor, director, writer, and storyboard artist best known for his work on the DreamWorks animated film series Shrek as well as other films such as Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, and Penguins of Madagascar. He also co-directed non-DreamWorks animated films such as Sony Pictures’ Sausage Party and MGM’s The Addams Family.
Conrad Vernon | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 11, 1968 Lubbock, Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Voice actor, director, writer, storyboard artist |
| Years active | 1991–present[1] |
Life and career
Vernon, a native of Lubbock, Texas, studied at CalArts and worked as a storyboard artist for animated productions (including Ralph Bakshi's Cool World);[3] he also directed Morto the Magician (a four-minute animated film written by Steve Martin).[4]
In 1996, he joined DreamWorks, where he worked as a storyboard artist on Antz.[1] After Antz proved a success as the first animated feature film to be produced by DreamWorks Animation, Vernon signed on as a writer for Shrek, where he was responsible for the Gingerbread Man, and eventually voiced that character. He also appeared in Shrek 4-D and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
In June 2004, he made his feature film directorial debut with the Academy Award nominated Shrek 2.[1] He voiced Mason the chimpanzee for the DreamWorks Animation films Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (for which he is also credited as director) and its spin off Penguins of Madagascar (where he voiced Rico, one of the penguins) and reprised the voice of Mason in the television series.
In 2009, Vernon and Rob Letterman co-directed the 3D animated film Monsters vs. Aliens, which he co wrote as well as supplying several voices.
Vernon and Greg Tiernan co-directed the adult animated comedy Sausage Party (2016), from a story by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Jonah Hill, as well as providing some of the voices. Vernon next co-produced and co-directed, again with Tiernan, an animated version of The Addams Family, which was released in October 2019.[3] He supplied voice roles for both Sausage Party and The Addams Family, including Lurch in the latter. He was scheduled to return as director alongside Tiernan for The Addams Family 2, released in October 2021.[5] In October 2020, it was announced that he would no longer be involved as director, though he ultimately received co-billing with Tiernan.[6]
In 2017, Vernon was hired to direct an animated feature adaptation of The Jetsons, from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman, which is being made by Warner Bros., under its Warner Animation Group banner.[7][8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Morto the Magician | Yes | No | |
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Yes | No | Co-director with Andrew Adamson and Kelly Asbury |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Yes | No | Co-director with Rob Letterman |
| 2012 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Yes | No | Co-director with Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath |
| 2016 | Sausage Party[9] | Yes | Yes | Co-director with Greg Tiernan |
| 2019 | The Addams Family[10] | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | The Addams Family 2[5] | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | The Jetsons[11][12][13] | Yes | No | [14] |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Herd | Pesion | Live-action role |
| 2001 | Shrek | Gingerbread Man | |
| Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party | Short film | ||
| 2003 | Shrek 4-D | ||
| Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | Jed | ||
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Gingerbread Man, Cedric, Announcer, Mongo, Muffin Man | |
| Far Far Away Idol | Gingerbread Man | Short film | |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Mason | |
| 2005 | The Barnyard (pitch) | ||
| 2006 | Flushed Away | Take Out | |
| 2007 | Shrek the Third | Gingerbread Man, Rumpelstiltskin, Headless Horseman, Muffin Man | |
| Bee Movie | Freddy | ||
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Mason | |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Advisor Hawk, Advisor Dither, Minister, Secret Service Man #2, Mama Dietl | |
| 2010 | Shrek Forever After | Gingerbread Man, Muffin Man | |
| 2011 | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Jameel | |
| Puss in Boots | Raoul | ||
| 2012 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Mason | |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar[15] | Rico | |
| 2016 | Sausage Party[9] | Toilet paper, Sauerkraut, Grape, Catcall sausage, Beer can, Pop bottle | |
| 2017 | The Boss Baby | Eugene Francis | |
| The Emoji Movie | Trojan Horse | ||
| 2019 | Trouble | Otis | |
| The Addams Family | Lurch, Priest, Spirit of the House, Dr. Flambe, Ggerri | ||
| 2021 | The Addams Family 2 | Lurch, Spirit of the House | |
| 2022 | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | Gingerbread Man |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | No Neck Joe | Special thanks |
| 1992 | Cool World | Character designer Effects animator |
| 1998 | Antz[1] | Storyboard artist |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Additional storyboard artist |
| 2001 | Shrek | Additional dialogue/story artist/writer: "Merry Men" |
| 2001 | The Human Spinning-Top | Writer of episode XII "The Human Spinning-Top is a dangerous hero" And Additional storyboard artist |
| 2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | Additional storyboard artist |
| 2004 | Shark Tale | |
| Shrek 2 | Additional dialogue | |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Creative consultant |
| The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper | Creative consultant; Short film | |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | Story artist |
| 2016 | Trolls | Additional story artist |
| 2017 | Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | Special thanks |
| The Emoji Movie | Additional sequence director |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Rocko's Modern Life | Storyboard artist, additional writer |
| 1993–94 | 2 Stupid Dogs | Storyboard artist |
| 1993–96 | The Itsy Bitsy Spider | Director |
| 1996 | Dexter's Laboratory | Storyboard artist, layout artist |
| 1997 | Nightmare Ned | Storyboard artist |
| 2012 | The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange | Executive Producer, storyboard artist |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Shrek the Halls | Gingerbread Man |
| 2009–12 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Mason |
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space | Man on Cell, Woman |
| 2010 | Scared Shrekless | Gingerbread Man, Muffin Man |
| Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special | Boar | |
| 2012 | The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange | Various |
| Gravity Falls | Tate McGucket |
References
- DreamWorks Animation. "Madagascar 3 Europe's Most Wanted - Production Information" (PDF). Festival Cannes. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Cannes Film festival: Conrad Vernon". Archived from the original on 2006-02-02. Retrieved 2006-06-01.
- "A Very Animated Family Reunion: Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan Bring The Addams Family Back to Its Roots". Boxoffice. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- "Monsters vs Aliens: Conrad Vernon vs Animated Views! – Animated Views". Archived from the original on 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
- "The Addams Family Directors Explain Their Approach to the Upcoming Sequel". Movies. Archived from the original on 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
- Anthony D'Alessandro (October 8, 2020). "'The Addams Family 2': Bill Hader & Javon "Wanna" Walton Join Voice Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- "The Jetsons Planned as Animated Feature". ComingSoon.net. January 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 27, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- Animated 'Jetsons' Movie to Lift Off With 'Sausage Party' Director Archived 2019-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, in Variety
- Sneider, Jeff (May 29, 2014). "Paul Rudd, Danny McBride, Anders Holm Join 'Sausage Party' Voice Cast". The Wrap. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- Kit, Borys (October 12, 2017). "'Sausage Party' Director Tackling 'The Addams Family' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (24 January 2015). "Warner Bros Plots 'The Jetsons' Animated Feature; Matt Lieberman Writing". Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- Natalie, Natalie. "'Jetsons' movie ready to blast off production". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
- ChrisXMorgan (26 May 2017). "Jetsons Animated Movie in the Works With Sausage Party Director". Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- McNary, Dave (January 23, 2015). "Animated 'Jetsons' Movie Lifting off With 'Sausage Party' Director". Variety. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- Berkshire, Geoff (November 12, 2014). "Film Review: 'Penguins of Madagascar'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.