Dan Scanlon
Dan Scanlon
Born/Date of Birth: June 21, 1976
Place of Birth: Clawson, Michigan, United States
Alma mater: Columbus College of Art and Design
Occupation: Film director, Storyboard artist, Animator
Employer: Pixar Animation Studios (2001–present)
Notable work: Monsters University, Onward
Spouse(s): Michele Scanlon
Dan Scanlon (born June 21, 1976) is an American animator, storyboard artist and director, working for Pixar, for whom he has directed Monsters University and Onward.
Early life
Scanlon grew up in Clawson, Michigan. When he was one year old and his brother three years old, their father died, and when they were teenagers, a relative gave them a brief audio recording of their father. Scanlon has said that these experiences helped inspire the story of Onward. He graduated with a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 1998.
Career
Scanlon was an animator for The Indescribable Nth and Joseph: King of Dreams. He served as a storyboard artist for The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure.
Scanlon joined Pixar in 2001, where he was a story artist for Cars and Toy Story 3. He co-directed the short film Mater and the Ghostlight. He illustrated part one of Unmentionables, a comic book written by his wife, Michele Scanlon, and wrote and directed the live-action feature film Tracy. Tracy was Scanlon's first feature film as a writer/director. He also served as a member of the senior creative team on Brave and Inside Out.
Scanlon directed the prequel film Monsters University, released in 2013, to positive reviews and commercial success. He subsequently directed the fantasy-road trip film Onward (2020), featuring the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer.
Scanlon and his wife Michele live in San Francisco and work together on projects under the production company name Caveat Productions.
