Simon Finlay Wells (born 19 October 1961) is an English film director of animation and live-action films. He is the great-grandson of author H. G. Wells,
Early life and education
Born in
Cambridge, he attended The Perse School and De Montfort University where he studied audio-visual design. Upon graduating he found a job at Richard Williams's studio where he animated commercials and other projects. Wells later supervised the animation on
Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Career
Wells began his film career by joining Richard Williams Animation, where he served as a supervising animator on
Who Framed Roger Rabbit. After the closing of Richard Williams Animation, Wells became a member of
Amblimation, a studio owned by
Steven Spielberg, where he served as director on their only three films:
,
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story and
Balto. Wells was set to direct a sequel to
Casper, but the project was cancelled.
After the closing of Amblimation, Wells joined DreamWorks where he worked as storyboard artist on many animated projects, and also directed The Prince of Egypt which was nominated for an Annie Award.
In 2002, Wells directed his first live-action film, a film adaptation of his great-grandfather's book The Time Machine.
Wells went back to DreamWorks Animation, where he continued as a story artist for films such as (2002), Shrek 2 (2004), Madagascar (2005) and Flushed Away (2006).
In 2011 he co-wrote and directed Mars Needs Moms using motion-capture technology during the filming.
Filmography
Director
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(1991)
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We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993)
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Balto (1995)
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The Prince of Egypt (1998)
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The Time Machine (2002)
-
Mars Needs Moms (2011) (Also writer)
Story artist
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(2002)
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(2003)
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Madagascar (2005)
-
Over the Hedge (2006)
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Flushed Away (2006)
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Shrek the Third (2007)
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Kung Fu Panda (2008)
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The Croods (2013)
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Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
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The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)
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(2020)
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(2022)
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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)
-
Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)
Additional story artist
-
Antz (1998)
-
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
-
Chicken Run (2000)
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Shrek 2 (2004)
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Shark Tale (2004)
-
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
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(2019)
-
(2024)
Other credits
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|
| 1988 | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | supervising animator |
| 1989 | Back to the Future Part II | consultant: Future |
| 1990 | Back to the Future Part III | assistance/thanks |
| 2001 | Shrek | special thanks |
| 2004 | The Polar Express | digital visual concept consultant |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | action sequence supervisor |
|
External links
