Joel Crawford (director)

Joel Crawford is an American film director, storyboard artist and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the DreamWorks Animation films The Croods: A New Age and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, with the latter nominated him for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Career

In 2006, Joel Crawford joined DreamWorks Animation, where he served as a story artist on Shrek Forever After, Rise of the Guardians, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, and Bee Movie. In October 2017, Crawford signed on to direct The Croods: A New Age, replacing both Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders as director. In November 2017, Crawford directed Trolls Holiday, a half-hour Christmas-themed spinoff of the 2016 film Trolls. In March 2021, Crawford replaced Bob Persichetti as director of the 2022 film Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
On June 3, 2023, Crawford received an honorary degree from the Savannah [College of Art and Design] for his contributions to animation. In April 2025, he signed on to write and direct Forgotten Island for DreamWorks Animation.