Shane Richard Acker[2](born 1971 inWheaton, Illinois) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter and animation teacher known for directing9,which is based on his 2005Academy Award-nominated short filmof the same title.He is a graduate of theUniversity of California, Los Angeles.
Shane Acker | |
|---|---|
 Acker in July 2009 | |
| Born | Shane Richard Acker 1971 (age 53–54) |
| 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 theUniversity of Floridain 1994 as well as a master's degree from theUCLA 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 createdThe Hangnail,The Astounding Talents of Mr. Grenade,and9.In 2004, Acker earned a master's degree in animation.[3]9took him four and a half years to complete and was released in 2005. Acker concurrently held a position atWētā FXin 2004 as an animator, where he focused on CG characters and creatures, followed byNCsoftfrom 2005 to 2006 as both an animator and CG generalist.[4]
Acker wrote, directed, and co-animated the award-winning animated short film9,which won a student award, was nominated for anAcademy AwardforBest Animated Short Film,and was shown atSIGGRAPH Electronic Theater.Tim Burton(Beetlejuice,BatmanandThe Nightmare Before Christmas) saw Acker's short film and, withTimur Bekmambetov(director ofWanted) from Focus Features, produced thefeature filmwith Attitude Studios inLuxembourgandStarz AnimationinToronto.Acker was the head director and storywriter.
He is also a visiting professor atLoyola Marymount University.[citation needed]
From January 2009 to 2010[4]Acker worked as an instructor for an advanced animation class at theGnomon School of Visual Effects.He worked at Gnomon on a short filmPlus Minus,[5]co-directed byAristomenis Tsirbaswhich 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 seriesThomas & Friends.He was set to work from a script byChris Viscardi,Will McRobbandJosh Klausner.Wētā FXwould have created the film's visual effects with design byWētā WorkshopDesign Dept, but the film was canceled afterMattel's acquisition ofHIT Entertainment.[7][8]
In 2011, Acker formed Benthos Studio, an animation production company with partners Greg Little, Jack Mitchell andBrown Bag Films.[citation needed]
In 2012, Shane Acker confirmed that he planned to work withValveto create his next film,Deep.Like9,the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, although it has no relation to9and 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 which9andDeepare such.[9]
As of 2021, most of Acker's feature films, including his animated feature filmDeep,are yet to be released.[10]Acker completed the short filmCrusoe,which was shown at theBerlin Short Film Festival.The film won the award for Best Science Fiction Short Film at the festival.[11]
Influences
editShane Acker has citedThe Brothers Quay,Don Hertzfeldt,Jan Švankmajer,and brothersWolfgangandChristoph Lauensteinas 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 fromthe originalon 20 October 2013.Retrieved6 August2015.
- ^"People Search Report on Shane Richard Acker in Los Angeles, CA".Intelius.Retrieved6 August2015.
- ^abcSchmelzer, Randi (April 1, 2006)."Cartoon Character: Shane Acker".UCLA Magazine.RetrievedSeptember 12,2013.
- ^ab"Shane Acker — Professional Profile".linkedin.Retrieved25 August2017.
- ^"Plus Minus | A short film by the students of Gnomon School of Visual Effects".Plusminusmovie.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-17.Retrieved2016-08-08.
- ^"Gnomon Studios Unveils Shane Acker's New Short Plus Minus | Animation World Network".Awn.2011-07-11.Retrieved2016-08-08.
- ^Fleming, Mike (2011-06-08)."'9' Helmer Shane Acker Boards Feature Based On The Thomas The Tank Engine Toys ".Deadline Hollywood.Retrieved2016-08-08.
- ^"Aaron (@Bosherstudios) on Twitter".twitter.March 6, 2021.RetrievedOctober 25,2021.
- ^Sandy Schaefer (2012-06-08)."'9' Director Teaming With Valve for Post-Apocalyptic Animated Film, 'Deep'".Screenrant.Retrieved2016-08-08.
- ^"Shane Acker".Shane Acker.Retrieved2021-08-14.
- ^"Crusoe Movie Poster".Shane Acker.Retrieved2021-08-14.
- ^Ogden, Steve (2007)."Shane Acker's 9: A Conversation With The Director".animWATCH.Archived fromthe originalon 21 June 2009.Retrieved8 August2015.
- ^ComingSoon.net (2023-06-09)."DreamWorks' Fright Krewe Announced for Hulu and Peacock".Head Topics.Retrieved2023-07-22.
- ^Hyler, West (Director) (2010).A Jake and a Tom(Motion picture). Hyler, West.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2011.Retrieved6 August2015.
- ^"9 (2009) - Rotten Tomatoes".Rotten Tomatoes.Retrieved25 August2017.
- ^"9 (2009) - IMDb".IMDb.Retrieved26 March2016.
- ^"Critic Reviews for 9 - Metacritic".Metacritic.Retrieved25 August2017.