Karey Kirkpatrick (born December 14, 1964) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. His films include Chicken Run franchise, The Rescuers Down Under, James and the Giant Peach, Over the Hedge, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Charlotte's Web, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He has also directed the films, Over the Hedge, Imagine That starring Eddie Murphy and Smallfoot. Kirkpatrick wrote the English-language screenplays for the American releases of the Studio Ghibli films The Secret World of Arrietty in 2012 and From Up on Poppy Hill in 2013.
His older brother is American songwriter and musician Wayne Kirkpatrick, with whom he wrote the 2015 musical Something Rotten! as well as the 2020 musical Mrs. Doubtfire.
Life and career Kirkpatrick attended the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, graduating in 1988. He began his career as a staff writer at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where he worked for more than three years. During that time, he earned his first screenwriting credit as a co-writer on The Rescuers Down Under. He went to become a freelance screenwriter, and his early writing credits include Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, James and the Giant Peach, and The Little Vampire. In 1997, Kirkpatrick wrote the screenplay for Aardman's Chicken Run from a story by Peter Lord and Nick Park. Kirkpatrick also wrote the screenplay adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for Touchstone Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment.
Kirkpatrick had a longstanding relationship with DreamWorks Animation, where he has contributed as a writer or story consultant on The Road to El Dorado and Madagascar. In May 2006, DreamWorks Animation released Over the Hedge, for which Kirkpatrick co-wrote the screenplay and made his directorial debut, sharing directing credits with Tim Johnson. That same year, Kirkpatrick co-wrote the screenplay of the live-action adaptation of E. B. White's classic Charlotte's Web for Paramount Pictures/Walden Media/Nickelodeon Movies. He produced and co-wrote, with partner Chris Poche, the comedy Flakes. He directed the Eddie Murphy dramedy Imagine That for Paramount Pictures.
Kirkpatrick wrote the English-language screenplay for the American releases of the Japanese animated films The Secret World of Arrietty in 2012 and From Up on Poppy Hill in 2013, both of which were produced by Studio Ghibli. The same year, he contributed to the screenplay for Sony Pictures Animation's The Smurfs 2, and was announced as the writer and director of an original comedy film from DreamWorks Animation about a "dim-witted blue-footed booby".
In 2011, Karey and his brother Wayne began working on the musical Something Rotten!. In 2015, they were nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre. Karey was also nominated for Best Book of a Musical along with John O'Farrell. They also received a Grammy nomination for "Best Original Cast Recording".
Kirkpatrick wrote and directed the animated musical comedy Smallfoot (2018), which was produced by the Warner Animation Group and animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Kirkpatrick, along with brother Wayne, also co-wrote the film's six original songs.
Kirkpatrick also co-wrote the song "Such a Beautiful Day" for the Disney animated film Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe for which he received and Emmy Nomination for "Outstanding Original Song for a Preschool, Children's, or Animated Program".
Kirkpatrick and his Chicken Run co-writer John O'Farrell in 2018 were hired to script a sequel film, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. The film was released on Netflix in 2023.
Filmography
Film Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1990 The Rescuers Down Under Credited as "Animation Screenplay" 1996 James and the Giant Peach 1997 Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves 2000 Chicken Run The Little Vampire 2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 2006 Over the Hedge Co-directed with Tim Johnson Charlotte's Web 2007 Flakes 2008 The Spiderwick Chronicles 2009 Imagine That Also music department (producer, writer, performer) 2011 From Up on Poppy Hill US adaptation 2012 The Secret World of Arrietty US adaptation;Also additional voices 2013 The Smurfs 2 2018 Smallfoot Also lyricist 2023 Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Television Year Title Notes 1995 Timon and Pumbaa Writer: Episode "Okay Bayou?" 2015 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Queen Latifah/Sam Rockwell/Something Rotten! (Uncredited)
Other credits Year Title Role 2000 The Road to El Dorado Additional dialogue 2004 Laws of Attraction Additional script 2005 Madagascar Creative consultant 2006 Hammy's Boomerang Adventure Short; creative consultant 2015 69th Tony Awards Lyricist: "A Musical" Strange Magic Special thanks 2017 The True Don Quixote Executive producer 71st Tony Awards Lyricist: Opening Number 2018 Early Man Story consultant 2019 The Addams Family Special thanks A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon 2020 Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe Songwriter: "Such a Beautiful Day"
References
External links