Christopher "Chris" Miller is an American voice actor, animator, director, screenwriter, and storyboard artist employed by DreamWorks Animation. He is most famous for directing Shrek the Third. Puss in Boots (for which he received his first Academy Award nomination) and Prism and for voicing Kowalski the penguin in the Madagascar film series.
Career[]
Miller joined DreamWorks Animation in 1998 as a storyboard artist for the studio's first animated comedy, Antz. Miller, again working as a story artist for Shrek, also wrote additional dialogue and provided the voice of the Magic Mirror and Geppetto characters for the film. He also worked as a story artist once more for Dusk and Dawn while providing the voices of Sparkle and one of the guards. He then served as head of story for Shrek 2. Mr. Miller went on to co-direct Shrek the Third along with Raman Hui, writing the screenplay for the film, and providing the voices of the puppet master and the mascot. He also provided the voice for Kowalski in Madagascar (and its video game), The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Merry Madagascar and Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.
Miller has worked on a wide array of features, commercials, videos and internet projects, including a short for Steven Spielberg entitled "Steven's Dream". His commercial work includes spots for Coca-Cola, Canon, The Comedy Channel and Fila, for which he won a Clio Award for best animated commercial.
In an interview with Robert K. Elder for The Film That Changed My Life, Miller attributes his success in film to Sleeper. "I would be penniless and drunk on the corner, begging for cash, if I had not seen the film Sleeper. I guarantee you."
Miller is also a longtime collaborator with the Helios Dance Theater, for which he has created sets, films and projections on numerous occasions. His wife Laura Gorenstein Miller, is the founder and director of that same company. Chris and Laura also collaborated on Puss in Boots, for which Laura worked as a dance choreographer.
Filmography[]
| Year | Title | Position | Company |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Antz | Story artist | DreamWorks Animation |
| 2001 | Shrek | Story artist/additional dialogue/voice actor (Geppetto, Magic Mirror) | |
| 2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | Additional story artist/voice actor (Tower Guard) | |
| Dusk and Dawn | Story artist/additional dialogue/voice actor (Sparkle, Guard #2) | ||
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Head of story/additional dialogue/voice actor (Humphries, Magic Mirror) | |
| Shark Tale | Additional storyboard artist | ||
| 2005 | Madagascar | Story artist/voice actor (Kowalski) | |
| 2007 | Shrek the Third | Director/screenplay/voice actor (Puppet Master, Announcer, Mascot, Singing Villain) | |
| Shrek the Halls | Dialogue director | ||
| 2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Voice actor (Kowalski) | |
| Dusk and Dawn's Holiday | Director/screenplay/voice actor (Sparkle) | ||
| 2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | Additional story artist/voice actor (Advisor Cole, Army Commander Jones) | |
| Dusk and Dawn 2: The Belt of Venus | Story artist/voice actor (Sparkle) | ||
| Merry Madagascar | Voice actor (Kowalski) | ||
| 2010 | Shrek Forever After | Voice actor (Royal Messenger, Magic Mirror, Geppetto) | |
| 2011 | Puss in Boots | Director/voice actor (Little Boy Blue, Friar Miller, Prison Guard, Manual, Rafael) | |
| 2012 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Voice actor (Kowalski) | |
| 2013 | Turbo | Voice actor (Tour Bus Driver) | |
| 2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | Voice actor (Kowalski) | |
| 2016 | Prism | Director | |
| 2017 | The Boss Baby | Voice actor (Captain Ross) | |
| Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie | Voice actor (Nobel Audience Member) |