Photo: Pat Loika / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
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.
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
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / animator / dub actor / character designer
2. Background
- High school
- Arvada High School
Awards & achievements
- Annie Award
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
Frequently asked questions
When was Chris Sanders born?
Born March 12, 1962 (age 64).
Where is Chris Sanders from?
Chris Sanders is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.
What does Chris Sanders do?
Chris Sanders works as film director, screenwriter, animator, dub actor, character designer.
What is Chris Sanders known for?
Notable works include Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Wild Robot.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.