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James Bobin is a British filmmaker. He worked as a director and writer on Da Ali G Show and helped create the characters of Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, and Brüno. With Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, he co-created Flight of the Conchords. He directed the feature films The Muppets (2011), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) from Disney, and Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) from Paramount Pictures.
With Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, he co-created, wrote and directed Flight of the Conchords, also for HBO. Bobin had previously seen Clement and McKenzie perform and signed on to co-create the show. In 2011, he signed a deal with HBO.
His feature film directorial debut, The Muppets, a musical-comedy film written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, was released in 2011 and became a critical and commercial hit and won an Oscar for Best Original Song. The film earned him his second BAFTA nomination at the 66th British Academy Film Awards. He wrote (with Nicholas Stoller) and directed a follow-up, Muppets Most Wanted, which was released in 2014. Bobin next directed the sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016). In February 2016, it was announced that he would direct a Jump Street-Men in Black crossover film, however plans for the movie fell through. In 2011, he signed a first look deal with HBO.
His most recent film, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, is a live-action adaptation of TV series Dora the Explorer with Isabela Moner as the title character. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 9 August 2019, by Paramount Pictures. In 2020, it was announced that Bobin was in talks to direct a remake of Clue. In October 2021, it was announced that Bobin would direct and executive produce an adaptation of Percy Jackson & the Olympians for Disney+.
Bobin was nominated for Outstanding Writing and Directing Emmys for Da Ali G Show in 2003, and again in 2005. In 2008 and 2009, he was nominated for Outstanding Writing, Directing, and Original Music for Flight of the Conchords, and in 2009, also received an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination for his work as executive producer.
In 2011, Bobin's first feature film, The Muppets, won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the song "Man or Muppet" written by Bret McKenzie. Bobin himself was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
| 2013 | BAFTA Awards | Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer | The Muppets | ||
| 2020 | Imagen Awards | Best Director – Feature Film | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | ||
| 2024 | Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directing – Children's Programs | Percy Jackson and the Olympians (for "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher") | ||
| 2025 | Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Live Action Series |
Feature film
Television
| 1998 | The 11 O'Clock Show | |||
| 2000 (UK) 2003–2004 (US) | Da Ali G Show | |||
| 2004 | Comedy Lab | |||
| 2007–2009 | Flight of the Conchords | |||
| 2011 | Enlightened | |||
| 2021 | The Mysterious Benedict Society | |||
| 2023 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians |
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