Dean DeBlois

Dean DeBlois
Information
Date of Birth:	June 7, 1970
Place of Birth:	Aylmer, Quebec
Age:	54 years
Role:	Co-writer Co-director Writer Director Executive producer

“	One of my favorite things about animation is that the boundaries are as limitless as our imaginations. If we can dream it, we can make it. And if we do it well, audiences will believe it wholeheartedly.	”
	— Dean DeBlois

Dean DeBlois is a Canadian Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. He is the writer and director of How to Train Your Dragon 2 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. He also co-wrote and co-directed the original How to Train Your Dragon film along with Chris Sanders.

Biography

Dean DeBlois was born in the small town of Aylmer, Quebec, Canada on June 7, 1970 - ironically about an hour and a half from Jay Baruchel's home town. When he was young, he took a strong interest in comic books, which would later help him with his drawing ability. Growing up, Dean was a bit of a loner due to his interest in comics as well as his homosexuality. This allowed him to identify with his character Hiccup, as both were on the outskirts of their respective societies as boys.

In to adulthood, Dean realized that a career in the continuously growing animation industry offered many tantalizing avenues to express his creativity. He worked his way through college at Hinton Animation Studios in Ottawa, Canada while attending Sheridan College in the Classical Animation Program. Out of college, Dean moved to Ireland to work at Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin, Ireland, working as a storyboard assistant, layout artist, and character designer on such films as A Troll in Central Park and Thumbelina.

Four years later, Dean accepted a job at Walt Disney Feature Animation in California as a storyboard artist on Mulan. The change in scenery was a surprise for Dean, as the community in Burbank was diverse and accepting. At Disney, Dean also co-created the popular film Lilo & Stitch with friend and colleague Chris Sanders. An anecdote Dean recalls well is that his other colleagues knew one of the creative pair was gay, and assumed it was Chris Sanders.

In October 2008, he shifted to working as co-writer and co-director of How to Train Your Dragon with Chris Sanders, which was experiencing major production problems. He re-wrote the script and produced the film less than two years later to much acclaim. While working on the first film, Dean was already envisioning a trilogy, with the end result paralleling the final book in the original How to Train Your Dragon Book series - Dragons leaving the humans behind.

Selected Filmography

Year	Title	Role(s)	Type of Media
1989	The Raccoons	Assistant animator	Television series
	The Teddy Bears' Picnic	Animator	Song
1990	The Nutcracker Prince	Assistant animator Layout artist	Feature film
1994	Thumbelina	Layout artist	Musical feature film
	A Troll in Central Park		Feature film
1998	Mulan	Story co-head
2001	Atlantis: The Lost Empire	Story artist
2002	Lilo & Stitch	Co-writer Director
2003	Stitch! The Movie	Characters - uncredited
2005	Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch
2006	Leroy & Stitch		Short film
2003–2006	Lilo & Stitch: The Series		Television series
2007	Heima	Director Camera operator	Documentary film
2010	Go Quiet	Director Editor Camera operator	Musical feature film
2008–2012	Stitch!	Characters - uncredited	Television series
2014	Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes	Characters: Stitch	Video game

DreamWorks Dragons Works

Year	Title	Role(s)	Type of Media
2010	How to Train Your Dragon	Screenplay co-writer Director	Feature film
2011	Gift of the Night Fury	Executive producer	Short film
2014	How to Train Your Dragon 2	Screenplay writer Director Executive producer	Feature film
2016	Burning Midnight	Co-Author with Richard Hamilton	Graphic novel
2017	The Serpent's Heir
2018	Dragonvine
2019	How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World	Screenplay writer Director Executive producer	Feature film
2025	How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action

Gallery

Dean DeBlois with Simon Otto

External Links

• Dean DeBlois on IMDb
• Dean DeBlois on Twitter
• Dean DeBlois on Instagram
• Dean DeBlois on Rotten Tomatoes

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People who created

Art Department Andy Bialk • Carlos Grangel • Chris Sanders • Darren Webb • Doug Wheatley • Mel Zwyer • Mike Yamada • Nathan Fowkes • Nico Marlet • Paul Shardlow • Pierre-Olivier Vincent • Shannon Tindle • Simon Otto • Tony Siruno Composers Anthony B. Willis • John Paesano • John Powell • Jónsi Directors, Producers & Writers Art Brown • Bonnie Arnold • Brad Lewis • Chris Sanders • David M. V. Jones • Dean DeBlois • Elaine Bogan • Grace Waldschmidt • Jack C. Thomas • Roger Deakins • Randy Thom • Douglas Sloan • F.M. De Marco • John Tellegen • Jonathan Groff • T.J. Sullivan • Tim Johnson Actors Adelaide Kane • Aimee Garcia • AJ Kane • Al Rodrigo • Alfred Molina • America Ferrera • Andre Robinson • Andrée Vermeulen • Angela Bartys • Angelique Cabral • Ari Rubin • Ashley Bornancin • Ashley Jensen • Ashley Liao • Austin Kane • Brad Grusnick • Brennley Brown • Brett Pels • Brian Posehn • Bronwyn James • Brook Chalmers • Carlos Alazraqui • Carrie Keranen • Cassidy Naber • Cate Blanchett • Charlie Saxton • Chris Edgerly • Christopher Mintz-Plasse • Claire Corlett • Craig Ferguson • D'arcy Carden • David Faustino • David Tennant • Djimon Hounsou • Donald Faison • Emma Shannon • F. Murray Abraham • Gabriel Howell • Gerard Butler • Gideon Emery • Grey Griffin • Griffin Burns • Hakeem Kae-Kazim • Haley Joel Osment • Harry Trevaldwyn • Holly Kagis • Jacob Hopkins • James Arnold Taylor • James Sie • Jay Baruchel • JB Blanc • Jeff Bennett • Jeremy Shada • Joey Camen • John C. McGinley • John DiMaggio • Jonah Hill • Julia Emelin • Julia Stiles • Julian Dennison • Julie Marcus • Justin Rupple • Justina Machado • Katie Von Till • Keston John • Kimberly Brooks • Kit Harington • Kristen Wiig • Lauren Tom • Liam Ferguson • Liam O'Brien • Lucas Grabeel • Madalyn Gonzalez • Mae Whitman • Marcus Scribner • Mark Hamill • Marsai Martin • Mary E. McGlynn • Mary Jane Wells • Mason Thames • Max Mittelman • Michael Goldstrom • Moira Quirk • Nathan Arenas • Nick Frost • Nico Parker • Nicolas Cantu • Noah Bentley • Nolan North • Ólafur Darri Ólafsson • Patton Oswalt • Paul Rugg • Paul-Mikél Williams • Pavar Snipe • Piotr Michael • Randy Thom • Renée Elise Goldsberry • Robin Atkin Downes • Roger Craig Smith • Rose McIver • Roshon Fegan • Ruth Codd • Sam Lavagnino • Secunda Wood • Skai Jackson • Stephen Root • Sumalee Montano • Susanne Blakeslee • T.J. Miller • Talon Warburton • Tara Strong • Thomas F. Wilson • Tim Conway • Tom Kenny • Vincent Tong • Zach Callison • Zack Pearlman • Zehra Fazal • Ólafur Darri Ólafsson Other Al Nelson • Cressida Cowell • Jeffrey Katzenberg • Richard Hamilton • Simon Furman • Will Davies