Karey Kirkpatrick | |
|---|---|
 Kirkpatrick in 2018 | |
| Born | (1964-12-14)December 14, 1964 (age 61)[1] |
| Occupation |
|
| Alma mater | USC School of Cinematic Arts |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Wayne Kirkpatrick (brother) |
Karey Kirkpatrick (born December 14, 1964)[1] is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. His films includeChicken Run franchise,The Rescuers Down Under,James and the Giant Peach,Over the Hedge,The Spiderwick Chronicles,Charlotte's Web, andThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He has also directed the films,Over the Hedge,Imagine That starringEddie Murphy andSmallfoot. Kirkpatrick wrote the English-language screenplays for the American releases of theStudio Ghibli filmsThe Secret World of Arrietty in 2012 andFrom Up on Poppy Hill in 2013.
His older brother is American songwriter and musicianWayne Kirkpatrick, with whom he wrote the 2015 musicalSomething Rotten! as well as the 2020 musicalMrs. Doubtfire.
Kirkpatrick attended theSchool of Cinematic Arts at theUniversity of Southern California, graduating in 1988. He began his career as a staff writer atWalt Disney Feature Animation, where he worked for more than three years. During that time, he earned his first screenwriting credit as a co-writer onThe Rescuers Down Under. He went to become a freelance screenwriter, and his early writing credits includeHoney, We Shrunk Ourselves,James and the Giant Peach, andThe Little Vampire. In 1997, Kirkpatrick wrote the screenplay forAardman'sChicken Run from a story byPeter Lord andNick Park. Kirkpatrick also wrote the screenplay adaptation ofThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy forTouchstone Pictures andSpyglass Entertainment.
Kirkpatrick had a longstanding relationship withDreamWorks Animation, where he has contributed as a writer or story consultant onThe Road to El Dorado andMadagascar. In May 2006, DreamWorks Animation releasedOver the Hedge, for which Kirkpatrick co-wrote the screenplay and made his directorial debut, sharing directing credits withTim Johnson. That same year, Kirkpatrick co-wrote the screenplay of the live-action adaptation ofE. B. White's classicCharlotte's Web forParamount Pictures/Walden Media/Nickelodeon Movies. He produced and co-wrote, with partner Chris Poche, the comedyFlakes. He directed theEddie Murphy dramedyImagine That for Paramount Pictures.
Kirkpatrick wrote the English-language screenplay for the American releases of theJapanese animated filmsThe Secret World of Arrietty in 2012 andFrom Up on Poppy Hill in 2013, both of which were produced byStudio Ghibli. The same year, he contributed to the screenplay forSony Pictures Animation'sThe Smurfs 2, and was announced as the writer and director of an original comedy film from DreamWorks Animation about a "dim-wittedblue-footed booby".[2]
In 2011, Karey and his brother Wayne began working on the musicalSomething Rotten!.[3] In 2015, they were nominated for aTony Award forBest Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre.[4] Karey was also nominated forBest Book of a Musical along withJohn O'Farrell.[4] They also received a Grammy nomination for "Best Original Cast Recording".
Kirkpatrick wrote and directed the animated musical comedySmallfoot (2018), which was produced by theWarner Animation Group and animated bySony Pictures Imageworks.[5][6] Kirkpatrick, along with brother Wayne, also co-wrote the film's six original songs.
Kirkpatrick also co-wrote the song "Such a Beautiful Day" for the Disney animated filmPhineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe for which he received and Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Original Song for a Preschool, Children's, or Animated Program".
Kirkpatrick and hisChicken Run co-writer John O'Farrell in 2018 were hired to script a sequel film,Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.[7] The film was released onNetflix in 2023.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Rescuers Down Under | No | Yes | No | Credited as "Animation Screenplay" |
| 1996 | James and the Giant Peach | No | Yes | No | |
| 1997 | Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves | No | Yes | No | |
| 2000 | Chicken Run | No | Yes | No | |
| The Little Vampire | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2005 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | No | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Over the Hedge | Yes | Yes | No | Co-directed withTim Johnson |
| Charlotte's Web | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2007 | Flakes | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2008 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | Imagine That | Yes | No | No | Also music department (producer, writer, performer) |
| 2011 | From Up on Poppy Hill | No | Yes | No | US adaptation |
| 2012 | The Secret World of Arrietty | No | Yes | No | US adaptation; Also additional voices |
| 2013 | The Smurfs 2 | No | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Smallfoot | Yes | Yes | Executive | Also lyricist |
| 2023 | Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget | No | Yes | Executive |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Timon and Pumbaa | Writer: Episode "Okay Bayou?" |
| 2015 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Queen Latifah/Sam Rockwell/Something Rotten! (Uncredited) |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Additional dialogue |
| 2004 | Laws of Attraction | Additional script |
| 2005 | Madagascar | Creative consultant |
| 2006 | Hammy's Boomerang Adventure | Short; creative consultant |
| 2015 | 69th Tony Awards | Lyricist: "A Musical" |
| Strange Magic | Special thanks | |
| 2017 | The True Don Quixote | Executive producer |
| 71st Tony Awards | Lyricist:Opening Number | |
| 2018 | Early Man | Story consultant |
| 2019 | The Addams Family | Special thanks |
| A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon | ||
| 2020 | Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe | Songwriter: "Such a Beautiful Day"[8] |
