Conrad Vernon (born July 11, 1968) is an American voice actor, director, writer, and storyboard artist best known for his work on the
DreamWorks animated film series ''
Shrek
''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...
'' as well as other films such as ''
Monsters vs. Aliens
''Monsters vs. Aliens'' is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated monster comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman from a screenplay written by L ...
'', ''
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'', and ''
Penguins of Madagascar''. He also co-directed non-DreamWorks animated films such as Sony Pictures’ ''
Sausage Party
''Sausage Party'' is a 2016 adult computer-animated comedy film directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan and written by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, and Jonah Hill. The film ...
'' and MGM’s ''
The Addams Family''.
Life and career
Vernon, a native of
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...
, studied at
CalArts and worked as a
storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in th ...
artist for animated productions (including
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatri ...
's ''
Cool World'');
he also directed ''Morto the Magician'' (a four-minute animated film written by
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominat ...
).
In 1996, he joined DreamWorks, where he worked as a storyboard artist on ''
Antz
''Antz'' is a 1998 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation (in its debut film) and Pacific Data Images and released by DreamWorks Pictures. It was directed by Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson (in their fe ...
''.
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
''Shrek 4-D'' (also known as ''Shrek 3-D'' for the DVD release and ''The Ghost of Lord Farquaad'' for the Shrek's Thriller Tales DVD release and DreamWorks Spooky Stories Blu-ray release, Netflix and other streaming releases) is a computer-animat ...
'' and ''
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas''.
In June 2004, he made his feature film directorial debut with the Academy Award nominated ''
Shrek 2
''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the se ...
''.
He voiced
Mason the
chimpanzee for the DreamWorks Animation films ''
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
'', ''
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
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...
.
Later years
In 2009, Vernon and
Rob Letterman co-directed the 3D animated film ''
Monsters vs. Aliens
''Monsters vs. Aliens'' is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated monster comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman from a screenplay written by L ...
'', which he co wrote as well as supplying several voices.
Vernon and
Greg Tiernan co-directed the
adult animated comedy ''
Sausage Party
''Sausage Party'' is a 2016 adult computer-animated comedy film directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan and written by Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, and Jonah Hill. The film ...
'' (2016), from a story by
Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part ...
,
Evan Goldberg, and
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his comedic roles in films including ''Superbad'' (2007), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), ''21 Jump Street'' (2012), ''This Is the End'' (2013), ...
, 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.
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.
In October 2020, it was announced that he would no longer be involved as director, though he ultimately received co-billing with Tiernan.
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
The Warner Animation Group (WAG) is an American animation studio serving as the computer-animated feature film label of Warner Bros.' theatrical film production and distribution division, Warner Bros. Pictures. Established on January 7, 2013, t ...
banner.
Animated 'Jetsons' Movie to Lift Off With 'Sausage Party' Director
in Variety
Filmography
Film
Acting roles
Other credits
Television
Acting roles
References
External links
Conrad's blog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Conrad
1968 births
Living people
American animated film directors
Animators from Texas
American male voice actors
People from Lubbock, Texas
California Institute of the Arts alumni
DreamWorks Animation people
American storyboard artists
American television directors
American male television writers
American television writers
Film directors from Texas
Screenwriters from Texas