11 cases when famous film directors took on cartoons (9 photos)

Making a feature-length film and a full-length animated film obviously require different skills from the director. Therefore, there are not so many half-breed directors who have shot a feature film and directed a cartoon (if we are talking about a feature film).





Someday we will definitely remember those who first made cartoons and switched to films with actors, but today we will list the famous film directors in whose filmography a feature-length cartoon was included. Or even two!

Pinocchio Guillermo del Toro (2022)



Who is the director: Guillermo del Toro.

In the director’s filmography, the Oscar-winning “Pinocchio” is adjacent to the films “Hellboy: Hero from Hell,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Pacific Rim,” “The Shape of Water” and “Nightmare Alley.”

Happy Feet (2006)





Who is the director: George Miller.

Surprisingly, this cartoon (and its sequel; both failures) coexists in the director’s filmography with four parts of “Mad Max” and, what’s most fun, with the film “Babe: The Four-Legged Baby.”

So is this still a children's director or a director of films about the post-apocalypse?

Legends of the Night Watch (2010)



Who is the director: Zack Snyder.

This cartoon was the next in Snyder’s filmography after “300” and “Watchmen.” And after the cartoon about owls, the director began working on films in the DC universe.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011)



Who is the director: Steven Spielberg.

There is no need to list here what films this director has made; everyone already knows a couple or three, or even a dozen. Of course, even Spielberg's cartoons are unusual - this is a 3D film shot using motion capture technology. True, it did not become a discovery in the world of cartoons and was received by the audience without any enthusiasm.

Rango (2011)



Who is the director: Gore Verbinski.

The director is known primarily for directing the first three parts of Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as for the films Mouse Hunt, The Mexican, The Lone Ranger and, unexpectedly, the horror film The Ring.

The director often collaborates with Johnny Depp, who voiced the chameleon Rango. The cartoon received an Oscar as the best animated project of the year, and it was also shot in a rather interesting way.

The Polar Express (2004)/ A Christmas Story (2009)



Who is the director: Robert Zemeckis.

Both of these animation projects were created using motion capture technology, and they were both criticized for their "uncanny valley" effect.

Zemeckis himself had previously directed not just something else, but the “Back to the Future” and “Forrest Gump” trilogy.

Corpse Bride (2005)/ Frankenweenie (2012)



Who is the director: Tim Burton.

In general, Burton is an animator, he even worked in this capacity at Walt Disney Studios, so it was only a matter of time before he would have cartoons he directed on his resume.

However, before his first cartoon, he made as many as 10 films, including “Batman”, “Sleepy Hollow”, “Big Fish”, “Beetlejuice” and, of course, “Edward Scissorhands”.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)/ Isle of Dogs (2018)



Who is the director: Wes Anderson.

The visual style of Wes Anderson's films is such that he might as well try not to make a cartoon! Let us remember that the director directed “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “Moonrise Kingdom” and “The French Messenger”.

Both of these cartoon projects also stand out because they are essentially puppet cartoons, that is, real character figures were created for them, and real sand and other decorations were used.