Shane Richard Acker[2] (born 1971 in Wheaton, Illinois) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter and animation teacher known for directing 9, which is based on his 2005 Academy Award-nominated short film of the same title. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Shane Acker | |
|---|---|
 Acker in July 2009 | |
| Born | Shane Richard Acker 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation(s) | Animator, film director, screenwriter, animation teacher |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | Sibyl Wickersheimer |
Early life
editAs a child Acker was hyperactive, so his parents encouraged him to draw.[3] Acker originally set a goal of becoming an architect; he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Florida in 1994 as well as a master's degree from the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.[3]
Career
editUpon graduating in 1999, Acker decided to become a film-maker and went to study at UCLA's Animation Workshop. There he created The Hangnail, The Astounding Talents of Mr. Grenade, and 9. In 2004, Acker earned a master's degree in animation.[3] 9 took him four and a half years to complete and was released in 2005. Acker concurrently held a position at Wētā FX in 2004 as an animator, where he focused on CG characters and creatures, followed by NCsoft from 2005 to 2006 as both an animator and CG generalist.[4]
Acker wrote, directed, and co-animated the award-winning animated short film 9, which won a student award, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and was shown at SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater. Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas) saw Acker's short film and, with Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) from Focus Features, produced the feature film with Attitude Studios in Luxembourg and Starz Animation in Toronto. Acker was the head director and storywriter.
He is also a visiting professor at Loyola Marymount University.[citation needed]
From January 2009 to 2010[4] Acker worked as an instructor for an advanced animation class at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects. He worked at Gnomon on a short film Plus Minus,[5] co-directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas which was due for release in late 2011 but has yet to be released.[6]
In June 2011, Acker was chosen to direct a new live-action adaptation of the children's book and TV series Thomas & Friends. He was set to work from a script by Chris Viscardi, Will McRobb and Josh Klausner. Wētā FX would have created the film's visual effects with design by Wētā Workshop Design Dept, but the film was canceled after Mattel's acquisition of HIT Entertainment.[7][8]
In 2011, Acker formed Benthos Studio, an animation production company with partners Greg Little, Jack Mitchell and Brown Bag Films.[citation needed]
In 2012, Shane Acker confirmed that he planned to work with Valve to create his next film, Deep. Like 9, the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, although it has no relation to 9 and is set in a different universe, where World War III has forced humans underground. Shane Acker has expressed his interest in creating more PG-13 animated films, of which 9 and Deep are such.[9]
As of 2021, most of Acker's feature films, including his animated feature film Deep, are yet to be released.[10] Acker completed the short film Crusoe, which was shown at the Berlin Short Film Festival. The film won the award for Best Science Fiction Short Film at the festival.[11]
Influences
editShane Acker has cited The Brothers Quay, Don Hertzfeldt, Jan Švankmajer, and brothers Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein as inspirations.[12]
Filmography
editFeature films and TV series
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 9 | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut Wrote story |
| 2023 | Fright Krewe | No | No | TV series; Executive producer[13] |
Short films
edit| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Hangnail | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2003 | The Astounding Talents of Mr. Grenade | Yes | Yes | No | Also cinematographer |
| 2005 | 9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2010 | A Jake and a Tom[14] | No | No | Yes | |
| Plus Minus | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2021 | Crusoe | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer, production designer, and producer. |
Other works from films
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Animator |
| 2012 | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | Previsualization Artist |
| Total Recall | ||
| 2013 | Oz the Great and Powerful | |
| 47 Ronin | Previsualization Supervisor |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Guild Wars | Cutscene animator |
Critical reception
edit| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | IMDb | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 58%[15] | 7.1/10 [16] | 60 [17] |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | MicroCineFest Audience Choice Award | Best Short | The Hangnail | Won |
| 2005 | Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Graduation Films (Junior Jury Award) | 9 | Won |
| Graduation Films (Special Distinction) | Won | |||
| BendFilm Festival Jury Prize | Best Animated Short | Won | ||
| Student Academy Award | Animation | Won | ||
| 2006 | Academy Award | Best Animated Short Film | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Berlin Short Film Festival | Best Science-Fiction Short Film | Crusoe | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Independent Exposure - Shane Acker". Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ "People Search Report on Shane Richard Acker in Los Angeles, CA". Intelius. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ a b c Schmelzer, Randi (April 1, 2006). "Cartoon Character: Shane Acker". UCLA Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
- ^ a b "Shane Acker — Professional Profile". linkedin.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Plus Minus | A short film by the students of Gnomon School of Visual Effects". Plusminusmovie.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Gnomon Studios Unveils Shane Acker's New Short Plus Minus | Animation World Network". Awn.com. 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ Fleming, Mike (2011-06-08). "'9' Helmer Shane Acker Boards Feature Based On The Thomas The Tank Engine Toys". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Aaron (@Bosherstudios) on Twitter". twitter.com. March 6, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Sandy Schaefer (2012-06-08). "'9' Director Teaming With Valve for Post-Apocalyptic Animated Film, 'Deep'". Screenrant.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Shane Acker". Shane Acker. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ "Crusoe Movie Poster". Shane Acker. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ Ogden, Steve (2007). "Shane Acker's 9: A Conversation With The Director". animWATCH. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ ComingSoon.net (2023-06-09). "DreamWorks' Fright Krewe Announced for Hulu and Peacock". Head Topics. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
- ^ Hyler, West (Director) (2010). A Jake and a Tom (Motion picture). Hyler, West. Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ "9 (2009) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "9 (2009) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
- ^ "Critic Reviews for 9 - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 August 2017.