Chris Meledandri | |
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 Meledandri in 2018 | |
| Born | Christopher Meledandri (1959-05-15)May 15, 1959 (age 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Employers |
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| Notable work | |
| Title |
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| Board member of | Nintendo (non-executive; 2023–present) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Christopher Meledandri (/mɛləˈdɑːndri/;[1] born May 15, 1959) is an American film producer and founder and CEO ofIllumination. He previously served as president of20th Century Fox Animation, working as the executive producer for theBlue Sky Studios-produced filmsIce Age (2002),Robots (2005),Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), andHorton Hears a Who! (2008). Since 2010, he has worked as the producer for the film series of theDespicable Me,The Secret Life of Pets, andSing. In 2021, he joinedNintendo's board of directors after working with the video game company onThe Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).[2] Meledandri also collaborates with Illumination's corporate siblingDreamWorks Animation since 2016.
Meledandri was born on May 15, 1959 inNew York City toRoland Meledandri, a men's fashion designer, and Risha Meledandri, an activist, and grew up on theUpper East Side ofManhattan.[3] His father was of Italian descent.[4] Meledandri attendedDartmouth College.[5]
Meledandri's first job in the film industry came when he worked as an assistant to executive producerDaniel Melnick on the set ofFootloose.[3] He co-founded the production companyThe Meledandri/Gordon Company (withMark Gordon) until he left in 1991. Meledandri afterwards was the producer for a series of small films, before working as a producer for the 1993Disney filmCool Runnings, which was a financial success.[3][6] Soon after Meledandri was hired by20th Century Fox, where executives presumed that the success ofCool Runnings showcased Meledandri's ability to produce financially successful family films.[6] After a series of collaborations with filmmakerJohn Hughes, Meledandri was placed in charge of20th Century Fox Animation.[6] One of the first films released under Meledandri's tutelage was theDon Bluth-directed animated science fiction filmTitan A.E. (2000), a costlybox office bomb whose failure almost caused him to be fired, and which causedFox Animation Studios to be shut down.[6]
In 1998, Meledandri led Fox's acquisition of fledgling visual effects houseBlue Sky Studios, which became a commercially successful production studio. He oversaw the creative and business operations of Blue Sky, which became wholly owned by Fox.[7][8] While at the studio, Meledandri supervised and/or executive produced films includingIce Age (2002),Robots (2005),Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) andHorton Hears a Who! (2008). He also produced two animated shorts,Gone Nutty (2002) andNo Time for Nuts (2006); both were nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Meledandri left as President of 20th Century Fox Animation in early 2007, being replaced by Vanessa Morrison, and foundedIllumination, an animation company that was co-owned byUniversal Pictures, which fully financed and owned the films.[9] Fox had attempted to retain Meledandri, but it was reported by theLos Angeles Times that Universal's offer of an ownership stake in Illumination had persuaded him to switch.[7] Meledandri received a share of Illumination's box office earnings as part of his contract with Universal, and as of 2011, he also owned an undisclosed stake in the production company.[3] In 2010, Illumination released its first film,Despicable Me, a box office success. Meledandri built a relationship with chairman ofNBCUniversalStephen Burke, who liked Meledandri's propensity for producing animated films on a relatively low budget.[3] Illumination released a film version of Dr. Seuss'The Lorax, which continued the successful collaboration between Meledandri and theDr. Seuss estate.[5] He also produced all ofDespicable Me's various sequels and spin-offs.
On April 28, 2016,NBCUniversal announced its intent to acquire Illumination's competitor studioDreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion. It was announced that Meledandri would at the time oversee both Illumination and DreamWorks following the completion of the acquisition.[10] However, it was later announced that Meledandri had declined to oversee DreamWorks, and would instead be a consultant at the studio. On November 6, 2018, it was announced that Meledandri would be collaborating with Universal and DreamWorks to revive theShrek franchise.[11][12][13] Meledandri intends, however, to retain the original voice actors, as he believes they were perhaps the most memorable parts of the series. The first film in this collaboration,Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, in which Meledandri served as executive producer, was released in December 2022 to critical acclaim and commercial success.[14]
In January 2018,Nintendo announced during a fiscal meeting that Illumination would be developing an animatedMario film and that Meledandri will co-produce the film withSuper Mario creatorShigeru Miyamoto. On July 5, 2021, it was reported that Meledandri would join Nintendo's board of directors "as an independent and non-executive outside director" to advise Nintendo as the company develops more films underNintendo Pictures.[2]
Meledandri will serve as a producer onShrek 5 for DreamWorks, set for release on December 23, 2026.[15][16]
Meledandri is a member ofThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and is a member of the board of trustees atThe Hotchkiss School inLakeville, Connecticut.
Meledandri was married to Leslie Benziger from 2002 to 2016.[17] He has two sons, born in 1990 and 1998.[18]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Quicksilver | Associate producer |
| 1989 | Brothers in Arms | Producer |
| 1990 | Opportunity Knocks | |
| 1993 | Fly by Night | Executive producer |
| Swing Kids | ||
| Cool Runnings | ||
| Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit | Co-executive producer | |
| 1994 | Trial by Jury | Producer |
| 2002 | Ice Age | Executive producer |
| Gone Nutty | ||
| 2005 | Robots | |
| 2006 | Ice Age: The Meltdown | |
| No Time for Nuts | ||
| 2008 | Horton Hears a Who![7] | |
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Producer |
| 2011 | Hop | |
| 2012 | The Lorax | |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | |
| 2015 | Minions[19] | |
| 2016 | The Secret Life of Pets[20] | |
| Sing | ||
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3[21] | |
| 2018 | The Grinch[22] | |
| 2019 | The Secret Life of Pets 2[23] | |
| 2021 | Sing 2 | |
| 2022 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | |
| Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | Executive producer[24] | |
| 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie[25] | Producer |
| Migration | ||
| 2024 | Despicable Me 4 | |
| 2026 | UntitledThe Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel[26] | |
| Minions 3[27] | ||
| Shrek 5[28] |
I'm not sure this is the smartest defense, but as a person who has Italian-American heritage, I feel I can make that decision without worrying about offending Italians or Italian-Americans
A third film is in the works, as is a Christmastime spinoff about the Minions.
