Chris Renaud

Chris Renaud (born December 1966) is an American filmmaker, designer, storyboard artist, and voice actor best known as a key creative force at Illumination. He began his career in comics, working as an artist on nearly 30 issues between 1995 and 2000, with credits including *Star Trek: Starfleet Academy*, *X-Force*, *Quicksilver*, *Superman*, *Legion of Super-Heroes*, and *Aquaman*. Renaud transitioned to animation, where he directed the first, second, and fourth installments of the *Despicable Me* franchise (co-directing the first two with Pierre Coffin), *The Lorax*, and both *The Secret Life of Pets* films. With Coffin, he co-created the Minions and voiced them in the first two *Despicable Me* films; he also voiced Norman in the *Secret Life of Pets* series. Renaud earned Academy Award nominations for the *Ice Age* short *No Time for Nuts* (2006) and *Despicable Me 2* (2013). His work has defined the playful, high-energy visual style of Illumination’s blockbuster animated features.