Directing

Joel Crawford

Born March 9, 1975 · Long Beach, , California, USA (age 51)

Joel Crawford is an American film director and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing the DreamWorks Animation films The Croods: A New Age (2020) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), with the latter nominated him for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joel Crawford (director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors …

Known For

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish · 2022

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

MovieAnimationAdventure

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 · 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

MovieAnimationFamily

Po is finally living the dream as the Dragon Warrior—until a shadow from his past comes roaring back. When the ruthless peacock Lord Shen unleashes a devastating new weapon used to wipe out kung fu masters across the land, Po and the Furious Five race across China to put an end to his plans. But if Po is to have any hope of stopping him, he must first confront the truth of his origins—and find inner peace before his past tears him apart.

Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour · 2020

Trolls World Tour

MovieFamilyAnimation

Queen Poppy and Branch make a surprising discovery — there are other Troll worlds beyond their own, and their distinct differences create big clashes between these various tribes. When a mysterious threat puts all of the Trolls across the land in danger, Poppy, Branch, and their band of friends must embark on an epic quest to create harmony among the feuding Trolls to unite them against certain doom.

Forgotten Island

Forgotten Island · 2026

Forgotten Island

MovieAdventureAnimation

While celebrating their last night together, high school graduates and best friends Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.

Rise of the Guardians

Rise of the Guardians · 2012

Rise of the Guardians

MovieActionAdventure

When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.

The Croods: A New Age

The Croods: A New Age · 2020

The Croods: A New Age

MovieAnimationFamily

Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans -- a family that's a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. As tensions between the new neighbors start to rise, a new threat soon propels both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water · 2015

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

MovieAdventureAnimation

Evil pirate Burger Beard is in search of the final page of a magical book that makes any evil plan he writes in it come true, but the final page happens to be the Krabby Patty secret formula. When Burger Beard endangers Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, and Plankton must embark on a quest to retrieve the recipe and save their city...a quest that takes them to the surface world and transforms them into superheroes.

Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie

Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie · 2025

Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie

MovieAdventureAnimation

Gabby heads out on a road trip with her Grandma Gigi to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. But when Gabby's dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera, Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world to get the Gabby Cats back together and save the dollhouse before it's too late.

Filmography

Sort

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish · 2022

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

MovieAnimationAdventure

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.

Director

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2 · 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

MovieAnimationFamily

Po is finally living the dream as the Dragon Warrior—until a shadow from his past comes roaring back. When the ruthless peacock Lord Shen unleashes a devastating new weapon used to wipe out kung fu masters across the land, Po and the Furious Five race across China to put an end to his plans. But if Po is to have any hope of stopping him, he must first confront the truth of his origins—and find inner peace before his past tears him apart.

Story Artist

Trolls World Tour

Trolls World Tour · 2020

Trolls World Tour

MovieFamilyAnimation

Queen Poppy and Branch make a surprising discovery — there are other Troll worlds beyond their own, and their distinct differences create big clashes between these various tribes. When a mysterious threat puts all of the Trolls across the land in danger, Poppy, Branch, and their band of friends must embark on an epic quest to create harmony among the feuding Trolls to unite them against certain doom.

Thanks

Forgotten Island

Forgotten Island · 2026

Forgotten Island

MovieAdventureAnimation

While celebrating their last night together, high school graduates and best friends Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.

Writer

Rise of the Guardians

Rise of the Guardians · 2012

Rise of the Guardians

MovieActionAdventure

When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.

Story Artist

The Croods: A New Age

The Croods: A New Age · 2020

The Croods: A New Age

MovieAnimationFamily

Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans -- a family that's a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. As tensions between the new neighbors start to rise, a new threat soon propels both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together.

Director

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water · 2015

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

MovieAdventureAnimation

Evil pirate Burger Beard is in search of the final page of a magical book that makes any evil plan he writes in it come true, but the final page happens to be the Krabby Patty secret formula. When Burger Beard endangers Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob, Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Sandy, and Plankton must embark on a quest to retrieve the recipe and save their city...a quest that takes them to the surface world and transforms them into superheroes.

Storyboard Artist

Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie

Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie · 2025

Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie

MovieAdventureAnimation

Gabby heads out on a road trip with her Grandma Gigi to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco. But when Gabby's dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera, Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world to get the Gabby Cats back together and save the dollhouse before it's too late.

Thanks

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part · 2019

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

MovieActionAdventure

It's been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild.

Additional Storyboarding

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken · 2023

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

MovieAnimationFamily

Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she's a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.

Thanks

Trolls Holiday

Trolls Holiday · 2017

MovieAdventureAnimation

When the eternally optimistic Poppy, queen of the Trolls, learns that the Bergens no longer have any holidays on their calendar, she enlists the help of Branch and the rest of the gang on a delightfully quirky mission to fix something that the Bergens don't think is broken.

Director

The Trident

The Trident · 2023

MovieAnimationAction

When you're the legendary Puss in Boots, life and death go paw in paw. In this epic original short, Puss recalls one of his most daring deaths yet.

Executive Producer

Dear Diary: World's First Pranks

Dear Diary: World's First Pranks · 2021

Dear Diary: World's First Pranks

MovieAnimationComedy

Eep reveals how a comical accident led her and Dawn to discover the joys of tricking their families and set about performing "the world's first pranks."

Story