Carlos Saldanha

Brazilian animator (born 1965)

Carlos Saldanha

Saldanha in 2017

Born|  (1965-01-24) 24 January 1965 (age 59)[1][2]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Alma mater| School of Visual Arts
Occupations|

* Film director
* film producer
* animator
* voice actor

Employers|

* Blue Sky Studios (1993–2021)
* Sony Pictures Entertainment (2021–present)

Notable work|

* Ice Age: The Meltdown
* Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
* Rio
* Rio 2
* Ferdinand
* Harold and the Purple Crayon

Spouse| Isabella Scarpa
Children| 4
Signature

Carlos Saldanha (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkaʁluz sawˈdɐɲɐ]; born 24 January 1965) is a Brazilian animator, director, producer, and voice actor of animated films who worked with Blue Sky Studios until its closure in 2021. He was the director of Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Rio (2011), Rio 2 (2014), Ferdinand (2017), and Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024), and the co-director of Ice Age (2002) and Robots (2005). Saldanha was nominated in 2003 for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Gone Nutty and in 2018 for Best Animated Feature for Ferdinand.

## Early life

[edit]

Saldanha was born in Brazil, growing up in Marechal Hermes, Rio de Janeiro.[3][4] Though he loved cartoons and drawing from an early age, by the time he was an adult, he initially considered a career in computer science, because he did not think a career in art was a viable option. This changed when he became aware of how computer-generated imaging was revolutionizing animation, and discovered the continuing education program at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He entered that program to major in computer animation, saying, "I knew from the first day in class that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life". One of his instructors, recognizing his talent, convinced him to enroll in the school's MFA program. Though Saldanha and his wife, Isabella Scarpa, thought this was a risk, they opted to stay in Manhattan so that Saldanha could do so. While at SVA, he completed two prizewinning film shorts that were featured in film festivals around the world.[3] It was also at SVA that Saldanha met MFA instructor and future film directing partner Chris Wedge, who invited Saldanha to join Wedge's company Blue Sky Studios.[3][4][5] Saldanha graduated from SVA with a master's degree in Computer Art in 1993.[3][4]

## Career

[edit]

During its fledgling years, Blue Sky Studios provided special effects and produced animated TV commercials. In 2002, Saldanha and Wedge co-directed the animated feature 2002 film Ice Age. The movie was a success, with an opening weekend gross of $46.3 million, the best March opening ever. After co-directing the 2005 animated film Robots, he broke his previous March opening record with the sequel, Ice Age: The Meltdown, which Saldanha directed by himself. He would later direct the 2009 sequel, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Desiring a change of location after directing three films set in icy locales, Saldanha's next project was the 2011 film Rio, which is set in Saldanha's hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Saldanha, who felt that Rio had never been fully portrayed on film, felt a responsibility to travel to the city with the other animators so that they could accurately capture Rio's unique environment and habitats. The movie grossed a reported $484 million worldwide.[4]

In October 2012, Saldanha signed a five-year exclusive deal with 20th Century Fox to develop and produce animated and live-action projects.[6] For this purpose, he formed in June 2013 a Fox-based production company named BottleCap Productions.[7] In 2014, Rio 2 was released, which he directed and co-wrote. For 2017, he directed an animated feature film adaptation of The Story of Ferdinand.[8][9] Saldanha is also directing for Fox a live-action adaptation of Royden Lepp's graphic novel Rust: Visitor in the Field,[10] which he planned to make before Ferdinand.[11] He was also developing an animated feature film based on a book Alienology from the Ologies fantasy book series.[6]

In January 2022, it was announced that Saldanha would direct Harold and the Purple Crayon for Columbia Pictures and Davis Entertainment.[12] The film, which is also the first to be directed by Saldanha since 2017, would be released on August 2, 2024.[13][14][15]

## Personal life

[edit]

Saldanha and his wife, mathematician Isabella Scarpa, initially lived in a studio apartment in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, but after their second daughter was born, they moved to Hoboken, New Jersey, where they had friends. They continue to live there with their children, Manoela, Sofia, Julia and Rafael. Saldanha, Isabella and their oldest daughter compete in the HOHA (Hoboken Harriers Running Club), a 5k race.[4] Manoela and Sofia voiced a "porcupine-like critter" called "Molehog" in the film Ice Age: The Meltdown, directed by their father.[16] In Rio, Sofia voiced Linda Gunderson as a child.

## Filmography

[edit]

### Feature films

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director | Writer | Executive
Producer | Other  | Voice | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1996  | Joe's Apartment | No  | No  | No  | Yes  |  | Supervising animator: Blue Sky Studios
1997  | A Simple Wish | No  | No  | No  | Yes  |  | Creative supervisor: Blue Sky Studios
1999  | Fight Club | No  | No  | No  | Yes  |  |
2002  | Ice Age | Co-Director  | No  | No  | No  |  |
2005  | Robots | Co-Director  | No  | No  | No  |  |
2006  | Ice Age: The Meltdown | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Dodo  |
2009  | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Dinosaur Babies / Flightless Bird  |
2011  | Rio | Yes  | Story  | No  | Yes  | Second Waiter  |
2012  | Ice Age: Continental Drift | No  | No  | Yes  | No  |  |
2014  | Rio 2 | Yes  | Story  | No  | Yes  | Amazon Quail  |
Rio, I Love You | Segment  | No  | No  | No  |  | Segment: "Pas de Deux"
2016  | Ice Age: Collision Course | No  | No  | Yes  | No  |  |
2017  | Ferdinand | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Screaming Matador  | Additional Voices
2019  | Spies in Disguise | No  | No  | No  | Yes  |  | Senior Creative Team
2023  | Nimona | No  | No  | No  | Yes  |  | Blue Sky Studios
2024  | Harold and the Purple Crayon | Yes  | No  | No  | No  |  |

### Short films

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director | Animator | Executive
Producer | Other  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

1998  | Bunny | No  | Yes  | No  | No  |
2002  | Gone Nutty | Yes  | No  | No  | No  |
2006  | No Time for Nuts | No  | No  | Yes  | No  |
2008  | Surviving Sid | No  | No  | Yes  | No  |
2011  | Scrat's Continental Crack-Up Part 2 | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | Acts as Ice Age: Continental Drift Teaser Trailer #2[17]
2015  | Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe | No  | No  | Yes  | No  | Acts as extended Ice Age: Collision Course Teaser Trailer[18]
2016  | Scrat: Spaced Out | No  | No  | Uncredited  | No  | Ice Age: Collision Course archive and deleted footage[19]
2022  | Ice Age: Scrat Tales | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Disney+ Original Short Films; Ice Age Creative Trust

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Creator  | Executive
Producer | Notes

|
|
|
|

2011  | Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas | No  | Yes  | TV special
2016  | Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade | No  | Yes
2021  | Invisible City | Yes  | Yes  | Netflix Original Series

## Critical reception

[edit]

Film  | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic

|
|

Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) | 57%[20] | 58[21]
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) | 46%[22] | 50[23]
Rio (2011) | 72%[24] | 63[25]
Rio 2 (2014) | 48%[26] | 49[27]
Ferdinand (2017) | 71%[28] | 58[29]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year | Award | Category | Film | Result

|
|
|
|

2003 | Annie Award | Outstanding Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Shared with Chris Wedge | Ice Age | Nominated
DVD Exclusive Award | Best Audio Commentary, New Release
Shared with Chris Wedge | Nominated
Best New, Enhanced or Reconstructed Movie Scenes
Shared with John C. Donkin | Nominated
2004 | Academy Award | Best Animated Short Film | Gone Nutty | Nominated
Annecy International Animated Film Festival | The Annecy Cristal | Nominated
2007 | Annie Award | Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Ice Age: The Meltdown | Nominated
Satellite Awards | Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature
2010 | Saturn Award | Best Animated Film | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Nominated
Russian National Movie Awards | Best Animated Feature Film | Won
2012 | Annie Award | Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Rio | Nominated
Cinema Brazil Grand Prize | Best Foreign-Language Film (Melhor Filme Estrangeiro) | Nominated
Best Foreign-Language Film (Melhor Filme Estrangeiro) - Audience Award | Won
Italian Online Movie Award | Best Animated Feature Film (Miglior film d'animazione) | Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association | Best Animated Feature Film | Nominated
2014 | BAFTA Children's Awards | BAFTA Kids Vote - Feature Film
Shared with Bruce Anderson, John C. Donkin, Don Rhymer, Carlos Kotkin, Jenny Bicks & Yoni Brenner | Rio 2 | Nominated
CinemaCon Award | International Filmmaker of the Year |  | Won
2015 | Visual Effects Society Award | Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Shared with Bruce Anderson, John C. Donkin and Kirk Garfield | Rio 2 | Nominated
2018 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Animated Feature Film | Ferdinand | Nominated
Academy Award | Academy Award for Best Animated Feature | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "RIO". KidsNews,inc. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2013. "The mastermind behind this story, Carlos Saldanha, was born January 24, 1968, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil."
2. ^ Cavna, Michael (July 1, 2009). "The Interview: 'Ice Age' Director Carlos Saldanha". Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013. "The engaging, Braziian-born Saldanha, 44, shares his thoughts on creativity, family and the reason why he knew he needed the voice of Queen Latifah."[failed verification]
3. ^ a b c d "What's in Store". Visual Arts Journal. Fall 2011. School of Visual Arts. Page 18
4. ^ a b c d e Baldassari, Arlene (December 30, 2012). "The Road from Rio". Hudson Reporter. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
5. ^ Hulett, Steve (January 9, 2012). "The Carlos Saldanha Interview". TAG Blog. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
6. ^ a b Kroll, Justin; Abrams, Rachel (October 25, 2012). "'Rio' helmer Carlos Saldanha inks Fox pact". Variety. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
7. ^ Fleming, Mike (June 6, 2013). "'Rio' Helmer Carlos Saldanha Sets And Staffs Up BottleCap Productions At Fox". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
8. ^ Brodesser-Akner, Claude (February 18, 2011). "Fox, Ice Age Director Bullish on The Story of Ferdinand". New York. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
9. ^ Chitwood, Adam (May 16, 2013). "DreamWorks Animation Moves B.O.O. Release Up to June 5, 2015 and TROLLS to November 4, 2016; Fox Dates ANUBIS and FERDINAND". Collider.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
10. ^ Sneider, Jeff (September 9, 2013). "'Rio' Director Carlos Saldanha in Talks to Replace Joe Cornish on Fox's 'Rust' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on September 12, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
11. ^ Desowitz, Bill (March 14, 2014). "Immersed in Movies: Carlos Saldanha Talks 'Rio 2'". Animation Scoop. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
12. ^ Kroll, Justin (2022-01-11). "Lil Rel Howery Joins Zachary Levi In Sony's Adaptation Of 'Harold And The Purple Crayon'". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
13. ^ Pedersen, Erik (2021-09-10). "Sony Sets Dates For Whitney Houston & George Foreman Biopics, Two Others; 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile' On The Move". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2021-09-10. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
14. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 20, 2022). "'Harold And The Purple Crayon' Release Date Pushed Back By Sony". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
15. ^ Grobar, Matt (2023-05-16). "Sony Pushes 'Harold And The Purple Crayon' And 'They Listen' To 2024, Sets Dates For 'My Ex-Friend's Wedding,' 'Horrorscope' And 'Psycho-Pass: Providence'". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
16. ^ Lowe, R. Kinsey (April 3, 2006). "'Ice Age': It came, thawed, conquered". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
17. ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (November 15, 2011). "'Ice Age' star Scrat gets into more acorn-craving mischief – EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
18. ^ Truitt, Brian (November 6, 2015). "Sneak peek: Scrat heads to space for 'Ice Age' short". USA Today. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
19. ^ Jacobson, Colin (October 17, 2016). "Ice Age: Collision Course (Blu-Ray 3D) (2016)". DVD Movie Guide. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
20. ^ "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
21. ^ "Ice Age: The Meltdown Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
22. ^ "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
23. ^ "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
24. ^ "Rio (2011) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
25. ^ "Rio Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
26. ^ "Rio 2 (2014) - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
27. ^ "Rio 2 Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
28. ^ "Ferdinand (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
29. ^ "Ferdinand reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carlos Saldanha.

* Carlos Saldanha at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Carlos Saldanha

Films directed|

| Feature|

* Ice Age (2002) (co-director)
* Robots (2005) (co-director)
* Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
* Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
* Rio (2011)
* Rio 2 (2014)
* Rio, I Love You (segment "Pas de Deux", 2014)
* Ferdinand (2017)
* Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024)

|

Short|

* Gone Nutty (2002)

Television|

* Invisible City (2021–23)

Related|

* Blue Sky Studios

* v
* t
* e

Blue Sky Studios

Feature films|

* Ice Age (2002)
* Robots (2005)
* Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
* Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
* Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
* Rio (2011)
* Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
* Epic (2013)
* Rio 2 (2014)
* The Peanuts Movie (2015)
* Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
* Ferdinand (2017)
* Spies in Disguise (2019)

Short films|

* Bunny (1998)
* Gone Nutty (2002)
* Aunt Fanny's Tour of Booty (2005)
* No Time for Nuts (2006)
* Surviving Sid (2008)
* Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe (2015)
* Scrat: Spaced Out (2016)

Television
specials and series|

* Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas (2011)
* Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade (2016)
* Ice Age: Scrat Tales (2022)

Associated
productions|

* The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022)
* Nimona (2023)

Franchises|

* Ice Age (2002–2016)
* Rio (2011–2014)

People|

* Chris Wedge
* Carlos Saldanha
* Steve Martino
* Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

See also|

* 20th Century Animation
* 20th Television Animation
* Fox Animation Studios
* Walt Disney Animation Studios
* Pixar
* Disney Television Animation
* Disneytoon Studios
* Marvel Animation
* Lucasfilm Animation
* Industrial Light & Magic
* List of 20th Century Studios theatrical animated feature films
* unproduced projects

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Spain
* France
* BnF data
* Germany
* Israel
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Korea
* Netherlands
* Poland

Other|

* IdRef

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