Clay Kaytis (born March 22, 1973) is an American animator and film director, best known for directing the animated film The Angry Birds Movie (2016), the Christmas comedy film The Christmas Chronicles (2018), and the A Christmas Story sequel A Christmas Story Christmas (2022).
Clay Kaytis | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1973 |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, film director |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse | Monica Lago-Kaytis |
Career
editKaytis started his career as an animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios.[1] His main credits at Disney included Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Frozen.[2] After working for nineteen years, he left the studio in 2013.[3]
Kaytis made his directing debut with The Angry Birds Movie, which he co-directed with Fergal Reilly for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film was based on the Rovio Entertainment's video game Angry Birds. Jon Vitti wrote the screenplay for the film, which was released on May 20, 2016.[3][4] Kaytis then made his live-action directing debut with The Christmas Chronicles for Netflix, which was released on November 22, 2018.[5]
In late September 2016, it was announced that Kaytis will direct The Lunch Witch for Amblin Partners.[6]
In 2022, Kaytis directed a sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story entitled A Christmas Story Christmas for Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, and HBO Max (now Max).[7][8]
Personal life
editKaytis is married to producer Monica Lago-Kaytis.[9]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Inbetweener: Additional Clean-Up Animation | |
| 1996 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Breakdown Animator | Clopin |
| 1997 | Hercules | Rough Inbetweener | |
| 1998 | Mulan | Rough Inbetweener | |
| 1999 | Tarzan | Additional Rough Inbetweener | |
| 2000 | Fantasia 2000 | Animating Assistant | |
| The Emperor's New Groove | Animator | Pacha | |
| 2002 | Treasure Planet | Animator | Scroop |
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Animator | Farm Animals |
| 2005 | Chicken Little | Animator | Buck "Ace" Cluck |
| 2007 | Meet the Robinsons | Animator | |
| 2008 | Bolt | Supervising Animator | |
| 2009 | Super Rhino (Video short) | Animator | |
| 2010 | Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition (TV Series) | Voice | |
| Tangled | Animation Supervisor | ||
| 2012 | Tangled Ever After (Short) | Animation Supervisor | |
| Paperman (Short) | Final Line Animator | ||
| Wreck-It Ralph | Animator / End Credit Animation Designer | ||
| 2013 | Get a Horse! (Short) | Additional Thanks | |
| Frozen | Animator | ||
| 2016 | The Angry Birds Movie | Director with Fergal Reilly/ Voice | Clayton the Waiter Bird |
| 2018 | The Christmas Chronicles | Director | |
| 2020 | The Christmas Chronicles 2 | Executive producer | |
| 2021 | Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne (TV Special) | Director / Writer with Alex Galatis and Scott Montgomery | |
| 2022 | Snoopy Presents: It's The Small Things, Charlie Brown (TV Special) | Creative Consultant | |
| Snoopy Presents: To Mom (and Dad), With Love (TV Special) | Director | ||
| Snoopy Presents: Lucy's School (TV Special) | Creative Consultant | ||
| A Christmas Story Christmas | Director / Screenplay with Nick Schenk |
References
edit- ^ Sarto, Dan (May 31, 2011). "An Interview with Disney Supervising Animator Clay Kaytis". AWN. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 13, 2015). "'Angry Birds' Director Clay Kaytis Signs With WME". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ a b Amidi, Amid (October 9, 2013). "Animation Vets Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly Will Direct "Angry Birds" Feature". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ Roberts, Sheila (May 15, 2016). "'The Angry Birds Movie': Fergal Reilly & Clay Kaytis on Transitioning from Animators to Directors". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ Kit, Borys (December 5, 2017). "Kurt Russell to Play Santa Claus in Netflix Christmas Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Amidi, Amid (September 29, 2016). "'Angry Birds' Co-Director Clay Kaytis Jumps into Live-Action with 'The Lunch Witch'". Cartoon Brew.
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 20, 2022). "'A Christmas Story' Sequel Set With Original Star Peter Billingsley". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 20, 2022). "'A Christmas Story' Sequel In The Works At Legendary and Warner Bros With Peter Billingsley Set To Reprise Ralphie Role". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Monica Lago-Kaytis: Co-Founder, Rise Up Animation + Executive Producer". The BRIC Foundation. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
External links
edit- Clay Kaytis at IMDb