Mike Mitchell American film director, producer, actor and animator Country: USA

Biography of Mike Mitchell

Mike Mitchell is an American film director, producer, actor, and animator, best known for directing the films "Surviving Christmas" (2004), "Sky High" (2005), and "Shrek Forever" (2010). He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Julia Baker, a lawyer, and Robert Mitchell, a former chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. Mitchell attended Putnam City North High School before moving to Los Angeles where he enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts.

During his time in Los Angeles, Mitchell gained experience as an illustrator while working with renowned directors Tim Burton and Spike Jonze. His directorial career began with the television series "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and gained critical attention as the co-writer, producer, and director of the award-winning short film "Herd" in 1999, which received the Spirit of Slamdance Award at the Slamdance Film Festival.

In the same year, Mitchell made his feature film directorial debut with the comedy "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" starring Rob Schneider. He later directed the comedies "Surviving Christmas" and "Sky High" before joining DreamWorks Animation in 2006. He served as a creative consultant for "Kung Fu Panda" and a storyboard artist for "Shrek the Third". For the fourth installment of the Shrek franchise, "Shrek Forever", Mitchell took on the role of director.

Currently, Mitchell is preparing to direct the family film "Alvin and the Chipmunks 3D" with a planned release date in 2011. In 2010, it was announced that he would also direct the 3D film "Popeye" for Sony Pictures, set to be released in 2012.