Joel Crawford to Receive Variety Animation Award at SCAD
Why joel crawford receive the Creative Impact in Animation Award is clear for animation fans: Variety will honor the DreamWorks Animation filmmaker behind Oscar-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish at SCAD AnimationFest on Sept. 25 in Atlanta. The tribute lands as Forgotten Island screens that day, when Universal Pictures also releases the feature in theaters.
Key Takeaways
- Variety will present Joel Crawford with the Creative Impact in Animation Award at SCAD AnimationFest.
- The honor will be presented Sept. 25 at SCADshow in Atlanta during the festival, which runs Sept. 23–25.
- Crawford’s Forgotten Island, co-written and directed with Januel Mercado, screens at the fest and opens the same day.
- Past recipients include Chris Miller, Nick Park, and the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse directors.
- Crawford previously directed Oscar-, BAFTA-, and Golden Globe-nominated Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Why does joel crawford receive the Creative Impact Award now?
Variety is recognizing Crawford as a DreamWorks Animation filmmaker whose recent work has left a measurable mark on mainstream animation. He directed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which earned Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations and took in nearly half a billion dollars worldwide.
That success follows a steady rise through the studio system. Crawford made his feature directorial debut on The Croods: A New Age, served as head of story on Trolls, and directed the animated Trolls Holiday special for NBC. For more entertainment alerts like this, browse Streaming & TV Alerts on BlasterPost.
What will happen at SCAD AnimationFest on Sept. 25?
According to Variety’s report, the Creative Impact in Animation Award will be presented Sept. 25 at SCADshow in Atlanta. SCAD AnimationFest runs Sept. 23 through 25, and Crawford’s latest feature, Forgotten Island, will screen as part of the celebration.
Christina Routhier, senior executive director of SCAD theaters and festivals, said SCAD is honored to partner with Variety on the award. She highlighted Crawford’s mix of technical mastery and heartfelt storytelling, and called his career a model for SCAD animation students who value bold creative risks.
What is Forgotten Island, and who is in the cast?
Crawford recently completed Forgotten Island, which he wrote and directed with longtime collaborator Januel Mercado. The voice cast includes H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, and Lea Salonga. Universal Pictures is releasing the film in theaters on Sept. 25—the same day as the SCAD honor and festival screening.
The timing gives the award a practical showcase: audiences and students can see Crawford’s newest work while Variety and SCAD formally recognize his impact on the medium.
How does this honor fit Crawford’s wider career path?
Crawford joined DreamWorks Animation in 2006 and worked in its story department on films including Trolls, Shrek Forever After, Rise of the Guardians, Bee Movie, and all three Kung Fu Panda titles. Earlier story credits include The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.
A Southern California native by way of Hawaii, he attended the California Institute of the Arts and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ASIFA-Hollywood. In 2023, SCAD awarded him an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, making this year’s AnimationFest recognition a full-circle moment with the university.
Past Creative Impact in Animation Award recipients include Chris Miller (Smurfs), Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl), and Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse).