David Soren (born April 19, 1973) is a Canadian director, writer, voice actor, and storyboard artist at

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a divisio ...

. His most notable work are TV specials based on the ''Madagascar'' film franchise: '' Merry Madagascar'' and '' Madly Madagascar''. He directed the 2013 animated feature film ''

Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...

'', which is based on his own original concept, as well as the 2017 animated film '' Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie'' based on

Dav Pilkey David "Dav" Murray Pilkey Jr. (; born March 4, 1966) is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, ''Captain Underpants'', and the chil ...

's ''

Captain Underpants ''Captain Underpants'' is an illustrated children's novel series by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Piqua, Ohio, and Captain Underpants, ...

'' book series.

Early life and career

Soren was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Canada, was raised in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

, and graduated from

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology) is a public polytechnic institute of technology located in the west- Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...

. His final student project, an animated short film, ''Mr. Lucky'', received many accolades, and was accepted into competition for the 1997

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Before joining

, he worked at Toronto-based

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

as an animator and storyboard artist. At DreamWorks, he worked as a story artist on '' Chicken Run'', '' Shrek'' and '' Over the Hedge'', and as head of story on '' Shark Tale''. In 2009, he directed and wrote his first film, a TV Christmas special, '' Merry Madagascar'', followed by a 2013 TV Valentine's Day special, '' Madly Madagascar'', also written and directed by Soren. Soren made his feature directorial debut in 2013, directing ''

.'' It received mixed-to-positive reviews which won him an

Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally de ...

for Directing in a Feature Production. He was also the creative consultant on its television series, '' Turbo Fast.'' He voiced the muscle-sized baby Jimbo in '' The Boss Baby'' and directed his second feature film '' Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie'' and voiced Tommy which is based on

's comic books

, which the movie and books would later get adapted into an

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television series titled '' The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants''. However, Soren was not involved with the show. He reprised his role as Jimbo in ''The Boss Baby'''s sequel, '' The Boss Baby: Family Business.'' Soren is set to direct a full-length feature film for Paramount Animation titled '' Under the Boardwalk''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
David Soren
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Soren, David 1973 births Living people Artists from Toronto Canadian male voice actors Canadian male screenwriters Canadian storyboard artists Canadian animated film directors Canadian television directors DreamWorks Animation people Film directors from Toronto Male actors from Toronto Writers from Toronto 21st-century Canadian screenwriters