My Take
Chris Sanders is one of those rare talents who doesn't just direct animated films — he writes them, designs the characters, and even voices them, which tells you everything about how personally invested he is in his work. Growing up in Colorado and studying at CalArts, he went on to co-create Stitch, one of the most beloved and instantly recognizable characters in Disney history, which alone would be a career to brag about. But then he crossed over to DreamWorks and gave us How to Train Your Dragon, a film so emotionally honest it made grown adults cry over a fictional dragon. The fact that The Wild Robot earned him yet another Oscar nomination in 2024 proves he hasn't lost a step — if anything, his instinct for stories about unlikely bonds between creatures just keeps getting sharper.
Overview
Christopher Michael Sanders (born March 12, 1962) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and directed with Dean DeBlois; The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco; and The Wild Robot (2024), receiving nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for all of them.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Chris Sanders
- Name (Japanese)
- クリス・サンダース
- Reading
- くりす・さんだーす
- Born
- March 12, 1962 (age 64)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Tiger
- Origin
- Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / animator / dub actor / character designer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Arvada High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Annie Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Lilo & Stitch | — | |
| Notable work | How to Train Your Dragon | — | |
| Notable work | The Wild Robot | — | |
| Notable work | Mulan | — | |
| Notable work | The Croods | — | |
| Notable work | The Call of the Wild | — |
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.