Jorge Gutierrez (animator)
Jorge R. Gutierrez (born January 31, 1975) is a Mexican animator, painter, writer, voice actor, and production designer. He created the multiple Annie and Emmy Award-winning Nicktoon El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera and directed The Book of Life, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.[1]
Jorge R. Gutierrez | |
|---|---|
%252C_2014_Comic-Con.jpg.webp) Gutierrez at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International | |
| Born | January 31, 1975 |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts |
| Occupation | Animator, painter, writer, voice actor, production designer |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Known for | El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera The Book of Life |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 son |
| Website | http://www.super-macho.com/ |
Biography
Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, Gutierrez has completed various films, cartoons, illustrations and paintings exploring his love of Mexican pop and folk culture.
Gutierrez attended the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he received his BFA & MFA in Experimental Animation under Jules Engel. There he created the 3D short Carmelo, which won the 2001 Student Emmy Award in animation and was screened at various festivals around the world, including Kodak's Emerging Filmmakers Program at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. In 2000, Gutierrez worked under animation legend Maurice Noble, for the art direction of Chuck Jones' Timberwolf for Warner Bros. In 2001, he began creating Jorge Gutierrez' El Macho, an animated web series for Sony Pictures.
Gutierrez has also done character design on many animated series including Nickelodeon's ChalkZone, as well as WB's ¡Mucha Lucha!, and Disney's The Buzz on Maggie for which he was nominated for a 2006 Annie Award in character design. As a writer, he's worked on Scholastic's Maya & Miguel as well as Disney's Brandy & Mr. Whiskers.
Gutierrez won two Annie awards (Best TV Animated show & Best TV Character Design) and one Emmy (Best TV Character Design) working on his passion project for Nickelodeon, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, along with his partner, muse and wife, Sandra Equihua. He was also nominated for three Annie awards (Best Film, Best Director & Best Character Design) for "The Book of Life".
He created some of the sketches in Cartoon Network's Mad.
In 2012, Gutierrez directed at Reel FX a computer-animated adventure feature film with a Romeo and Juliet style love story set against a Mexican "Day of the Dead" backdrop.[2] The film, with the official title The Book of Life, was co-produced with 20th Century Fox Animation and was released on October 17, 2014.[3][4] He earned his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film in 2014,[1][5] only to lose the award to How to Train Your Dragon 2.[6]
In February 2015, Reel FX and Gutierrez announced a multi-year, multi-picture deal.[7][8]
On August 2, 2017, it was reported that Gutierrez would write and direct The Billion Brick Race, a spin-off of The Lego Movie, for Warner Animation Group.[9] However, on February 8, 2018, it was reported that Gutierrez had left the project.[10] More recently, he signed a deal with Netflix.[11]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Carmelo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Carmelo's Father | Short film |
| 2001 | Lint People | No | No | No | Short film Storyboard artist | |
| 2001 | El Macho | Yes | Yes | Yes | El Macho | Short film Also character designer |
| 2014 | The Book of Life | Yes | Yes | Yes | Skeleton Carmelo | Also character designer and additional music composer |
| 2015 | Guardians of Oz | No | Yes | No | Also executive producer and character designer | |
| 2017 | Son of Jaguar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Son of Jaguar | Short film Also character designer and art director |
| TBA | Kung Fu Space Punch[8] | Yes | Yes | No | In development | |
| TBA | The Book of Life 2[13] | Yes | Yes | No | In development |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | ChalkZone | - | Guest art director for "Pumpkin Love/Chip of Fools/Irresistible/Please Let Me In" |
| 2004 | ¡Mucha Lucha! | - | Character designer for "A ¡Mucha Lucha! Christmas" |
| 2005 | The Buzz on Maggie | - | Character model design supervisor for "Bella Con Carney" |
| 2006 | Brandy & Mr. Whiskers | - | Writer for "Big Girls Don't Body Slam" |
| 2006 | Yin Yang Yo! | - | Character designer for "Dojo, Oh No!/Finding Herschel" |
| 2006-2007 | Maya & Miguel | - | Writer |
| 2007 | Class of 3000 | - | Guest music video art director for "Love is in the Hair...Net" |
| 2007-2008 | El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera | Gordo Gordo | Episode: "Dia de los Malos"; Also creator, character designer, executive producer, production designer |
| 2010 | Carmen Gets Expelled | Butcher | TV short; Also creator, character designer, and director |
| 2010-2013 | Mad | - | Animator, graphic designer |
| 2015-2016 | The Adventures of Puss in Boots | - | Executive consultant |
| 2018 | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Ghostbear (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Victor and Valentino | Sal | Episode: "Chata's Quinta Quinceañera" |
| 2019 | The Loud House | Lucha Libra Commentator (voice) | Episode: "Lucha Fever with the Casagrandes" |
References
- McLean, Tom (12 December 2014). "Gutierrez Reacts to Globes' 'Book of Life' Nom". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- "GUILLERMO DEL TORO JOINS WITH REEL FX TO PRODUCE EPIC ANIMATED ADVENTURE DAY OF THE DEAD". Reel FX. February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- McClintock, Pamela (December 12, 2012). "Fox Animation Teaming With Guillermo del Toro on 'Book of Life' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
- "Fox Sets New Dates for Book of Life, Gone Girl and Frankenstein". ComingSoon.net. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
- Amidi, Amid (11 December 2014). "2015 Golden Globe Nominees and Filmmaker Reactions". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
- "Nominations and Winners of the 72nd Golden Globe Awards". Comingsoon.net. Evolve Media, LLC. 11 January 2015.
- "Untitled Kung Fu Space Western Is Reel". Big Cartoon Blog. BCDB. 19 February 2015.
- Hopewell, John (April 24, 2017). "'Despicable Me 3,' Pixar's 'Coco,' 'The Big Bad Fox' to Bow at France's 2017 Annecy Animation Festival". Variety. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- Hood, Cooper (August 2, 2017). "Book of Life Director Developing LEGO's Billion Brick Race". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- McLean, Tom (February 8, 2018). "Jorge Gutierrez Departs as Director of 'LEGO Movie' Spinoff". Animation World Network. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
- Thorne, Will (2020-10-14). "'The Book of Life' Director Jorge Gutierrez Inks Overall Deal With Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
- "Jorge R. Gutierrez on Twitter: "It's #WorldAutismAwarenessDay ! I'm the autistic father (I was diagnosed 3 years ago) of a wonderful son who also happens to have autism. It has made us who we are and I could not be more proud of him."".
- Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (June 15, 2017). "Annecy: Reel FX, Jorge R. Gutierrez Announce 'The Book of Life 2,' Unveil 'Kung Fu Space Punch' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
