Kyle Balda
Kyle Balda | |
|---|---|
 Balda in 2015. | |
| Born | March 9, 1971 Tucson, Arizona,U.S. |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Employer(s) | Pixar Animation Studios(1996-2002) Illumination(2010—present) |
Kyle Balda(born March 9, 1971) is an American animator and film director, best known for co-directing theIlluminationfilmsThe Lorax(2012), withChris Renaud;Minions(2015) andDespicable Me 3(2017), withPierre Coffin;andMinions: The Rise of Gru(2022), with Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val. He previously worked as an animator forIndustrial Light & Magicbefore moving toPixarwhere he worked on three of their films.
Early life[edit]
Balda was born inTucson, Arizona,to aMaltesemother.[1]He studied at theCalifornia Institute of the Artsin the early 1990s and dropped out after two years for a job he was offered.[1][2][3]
Career[edit]
During his time at CalArts, Balda was hired byLucasArtsas an intern to create the animated opening credit sequence for thegraphic adventure gameDay of the Tentacle.[4]
He started his career as an animator by working atIndustrial Light & Magic,in films includingThe Maskas graphics animator,Jumanjias animation supervisor, andMars Attacks!as character animator.[2]He also worked atWeta Digitalonce inNew Zealand,on the 1996 filmThe Frighteners,animating the character of the Grim Reaper for the film.[2]Later Balda started working atPixar;where he was credited as an additional animator inA Bug's Life,as directing animator inToy Story 2,and as animator inMonsters, Inc..[2]In 2010, he joinedIllumination Entertainmentin Paris, and worked inDespicable Meas the head of layout. Balda has also directed several short films and lectured at different animation schools.[2]
In 2012, Balda made hisdirectorial debutat Illumination as co-director ofThe Lorax,along withChris Renaud.[3][5]The film was released domestically on March 2, 2012, byUniversal Picturesand grossed over $348 million with a budget of $70 million.[6]
In 2015, Balda directed another Illumination animated film,Minions,this time alongsidePierre Coffin.[5][7][8]The film was released domestically on July 10, 2015, by Universal and has grossed over $1.1 billion.[9]
In 2017, Balda co-directedDespicable Me 3.In his role as co-director he pushed for the film to have a more vibrant color palette than its predecessors.[10]
On June 7, 2024, it was announced Balda would make his live-action directorial debut withThree Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie,a film adaptation of Leonie Swann'sbook of the same name,set to be produced byAmazon MGM Studios.[11]
Personal life[edit]
Balda currently resides in theOregon coast.[12]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Mask | Graphics animator |
| 1995 | Jumanji | Animation supervisor |
| 1996 | Mars Attacks! | Character animator |
| 1996 | The Frighteners | |
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | Additional animator |
| 1999 | Toy Story 2 | Directing animator |
| 2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Animator |
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Layout supervisor |
| 2012 | The Lorax | Co-director |
| Forces of Nature | Director | |
| 2015 | Minions | |
| Competition | ||
| 2016 | Weenie | |
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3 | |
| 2022 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | |
| 2026 | Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie |
References[edit]
- ^abMolony, Julia (June 22, 2015)."Life amongst Minions... for Kyle Balda".The Irish Independent.RetrievedJuly 30,2015.
- ^abcde"Kyle Balda, Illumination Mac Guff, Director".FMX.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^abFraser, Paul (March 9, 2012)."Alumnus Kyle Balda's Co-directed Film The Lorax Opens Strong".Calarts.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^Mackey, Bob (March 7, 2016)."Behind the Art of Day of the Tentacle".USgamer.Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2016.RetrievedMarch 7,2016.
- ^abBrew, Simon (June 26, 2015)."Kyle Balda interview: Minions, Day Of The Tentacle".Den of Geek.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^"Dr. Seuss' The Lorax".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^Kourbeti, Kat (June 30, 2015)."Interview: Directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda talk Minions".Flickering Myth.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^Cecco, Leyland (July 10, 2015)."Kyle Balda and Peter Coffin".Exclaim!.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^"Minions (2015)".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
- ^Grobar, Matt (December 19, 2017)."'Despicable Me 3' Director Kyle Balda On Designing Balthazar Bratt, Failed Child Star-Turned-Supervillain ".Deadline.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
- ^Grobar, Matt (June 7, 2024)."Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine & More To Star In Amazon MGM Comedy 'Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie'".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedJune 7,2024.
- ^Strauss, Bob (June 28, 2022)."Director couldn't resist setting 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' in his beloved Bay Area".San Francisco Chronicle.RetrievedSeptember 25,2022.
External links[edit]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
