Dean DeBlois

Dean DeBlois
Dean DeBlois at 2014 WonderCon
Born
Dean Allan DeBlois[1]

(1970-06-07) June 7, 1970
Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Alma materSheridan College
Occupations
Years active1988–present
Employers
Signature

Dean Allan DeBlois[1] (/dəˈblwɑː/ də-BLWAH;[2] born June 7, 1970)[3] is a Canadian filmmaker and writer. He is best known for co-writing and directing the Oscar-nominated animated feature films Lilo & Stitch (2002) for Walt Disney Animation Studios (with Chris Sanders), the How to Train Your Dragon film series for DreamWorks Animation (the first film also with Sanders), and directing the documentary Heima (2007) about the Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

Early life

DeBlois was born and raised in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada.[4] As a boy, he was interested in comic books, which he later said influenced his drawing ability, imagination and storytelling. Growing up in poverty, he would visit a nearby smoke shop on weekends, where the proprietor let him read comics for free. Memorizing them, he went home and drew.[5] DeBlois attended Darcy McGee High School.

Career

DeBlois began his career as an assistant animator and layout artist for Hinton Animation Studios/Lacewood Productions in Ottawa, Ontario, while simultaneously attending Sheridan College's three year Classical Animation program in Oakville, Ontario. From 1988 to 1990, DeBlois contributed to such productions as The Raccoons (TV series), The Teddy Bears' Picnic (TV special), and The Nutcracker Prince (feature animated film).

Upon graduation from Sheridan College in 1990, DeBlois was hired by Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin, Ireland. There, he worked as a layout artist, character designer, and storyboard assistant to Don Bluth on such feature animated films as A Troll in Central Park and Thumbelina.

In 1994, DeBlois left Dublin for Los Angeles to begin work for Walt Disney Feature Animation as a storyboard artist, where he worked alongside his frequent collaborator, Chris Sanders, as Head of Story on Mulan. Shortly thereafter, they re-teamed to create Lilo & Stitch. DeBlois left production on Atlantis: The Lost Empire in order to work on Lilo & Stitch.[6]

Following its release in 2002, DeBlois sold several original live action feature film projects to write, direct, and produce, including an Irish ghost story titled The Banshee and Finn Magee,[7][1] a psychological thriller titled The Lighthouse[8] (not to be confused with the 2016 and 2019 films titled The Lighthouse) and a family adventure series titled Sightings,[9] which were optioned at Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, and Universal Studios respectively.

DeBlois' feature-length music documentary film Heima chronicles the homecoming concert of Iceland's Sigur Rós.

In October 2008, DeBlois returned to feature animation to co-write and co-direct DreamWorks Animation's then-troubled How to Train Your Dragon, once again re-teaming with Sanders. The duo re-envisioned the film's story and shepherded the production to its March 2010 release. The resulting film became the studio's top-grossing film in North America outside of the Shrek franchise.[10]

During that same time, DeBlois also directed another feature-length music film for Sigur Rós front-man Jónsi, entitled Go Quiet, as well as a feature-length concert film entitled Jónsi: Live at The Wiltern.

DeBlois wrote and directed the fantasy/action film How to Train Your Dragon 2, a sequel to the original, which was released on June 13, 2014, followed by How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World on February 22, 2019.

On September 23, 2019, DeBlois was attached to write and direct a film adaptation of the Micronauts.[11]

In February 2023, a live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon was announced, with DeBlois set to write and direct, making the film his live action debut.

Personal life

DeBlois is openly gay, and told The Advocate that people in the industry "knew that one of us was gay" but mistakenly assumed it was his heterosexual writing partner Chris Sanders, because DeBlois "hobbled in there looking like a redneck".[12]

Filmography

Films

Title Year Director Writer Producer Notes
Mulan 1998 No Story No credited as "Story Co-Head"
Lilo & Stitch 2002 Yes Yes No alongside Chris Sanders
Heima (documentary) 2007 Yes No No also camera operator
How to Train Your Dragon 2010 Yes Yes No alongside Chris Sanders
Go Quiet (direct-to-video short) Yes No No also camera operator & editor
How to Train Your Dragon 2 2014 Yes Yes Executive
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 2019 Yes Yes Executive
How to Train Your Dragon 2025 Yes Yes Executive live action debut

Producer only

Title Year Notes
Gift of the Night Fury 2011 Executive producer
Direct-to-video short
The Other Side of the Wind 2018 Co-producer
The Wild Robot 2024 Executive producer[13]

Animation department

Title Year Notes
The Teddy Bears' Picnic (short direct-to-TV) 1989 assistant animator
The Nutcracker Prince 1990 assistant animator / layout artist
Thumbelina 1994 layout artist
The Lion King
A Troll in Central Park
Atlantis: The Lost Empire 2001 story artist

Acting only

Title Year Notes
How to Train Your Dragon 2025 Fat viking warrior

Television series

Title Year Credited as Notes
The Raccoons 1989 assistant animator 9 episodes
Quack Pack 1996 character designer / storyboard artist / prop designer 7 episodes
Histeria! 1998–1999 storyboard artist 17 episodes

Selected awards and nominations

Ceremony Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
3D Creative Arts Awards 2015 Best Feature Film – Animation How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [14]
Best Stereoscopic Feature Film – Animation Won [15]
Academy Awards 2003 Best Animated Feature Lilo & Stitch Nominated [16]
2011 How to Train Your Dragon Nominated [17]
2015 How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [18]
2020 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [19]
Annie Awards 2003 Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production Lilo & Stitch Nominated [20]
Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production Nominated
2011 Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production How to Train Your Dragon Won [21]
Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production Won
2015 Best Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon 2 Won [22]
Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production Won
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production Nominated
2020 Best Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [23]
Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production Nominated
British Academy Children's Awards 2014 Kid's Vote — Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [24][25]
Feature Film Nominated
BAFTA Awards 2011 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon Nominated [26]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2014 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [27]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [28][29]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2003 Best Animated Feature Lilo & Stitch Nominated [30]
2011 How to Train Your Dragon Nominated [31]
2015 How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [32]
2020 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [33]
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2019 Best Animated Feature Nominated [34]
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards 2014 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [35][36]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
Georgia Film Critics Association Awards 2015 Best Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [38]
2020 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
Golden Globe Awards 2011 Best Animated Feature Film How to Train Your Dragon Nominated [39]
2015 How to Train Your Dragon 2 Won [40]
2020 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [41]
Hollywood Film Awards 2014 Hollywood Animation Award How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [42]
Hollywood Critics Association Awards 2020 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2015 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [43][44]
2020 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [45][46]
International Cinephile Society Awards 2015 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [47][48]
Movieguide Awards 2020 Best Movie for Families How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [49]
National Board of Review Awards 2014 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Won [50]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Won [51]
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2015 Favorite Animated Movie How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [52]
Online Film Critics Society Awards 2014 Best Animated Film Nominated [53][54]
2020 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
People's Choice Awards 2015 Favorite Family Movie How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [55]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [56]
Producers Guild of America Awards 2015 Best Animated Motion Picture How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [57]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2014 Best Animated Film Nominated [27]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards 2019 Best Animated Feature Nominated [37]
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards 2014 Best Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [27]
Satellite Awards 2015 Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature Nominated [58]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
Saturn Awards 2015 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [59]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [60]
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 2019 Best Animated Feature Nominated [37]
Seattle International Film Festival Awards 2014 Golden Space Needle Award – Best Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Second runner-up [61]
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards 2014 Best Animated Feature Nominated [62][63]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [37]
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2014 Best Animated Film How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [64]
2019 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [65]
Visual Effects Society Awards 2015 Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon 2 Nominated [66][67]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2014 Best Animated Feature How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Nominated [27]
2019 Nominated [37]

References

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