Frederik Du Chau
Encyclopedia
Frederik Du Chau is a film director
, screenwriter
and former animator
. He is well known for directing films like Racing Stripes
and Underdog
. Before directing Racing Stripes he served as director on the animated feature Quest for Camelot
.
in his hometown of Ghent, where he studied film and majored in animation under celebrated filmmaker, Raoul Servais
. After graduation, he worked for Disney Paris
as a freelance animator and directed several local commercials, combining live-action and animation.
The selection of his student film, The Mystery of the Lamb (Het mysterie van het lam), for the Los Angeles Animation Celebration Conference brought him to Hollywood where he was offered a job as an animator and later as a visual development and storyboard artist for Disney
, Warner Bros.
, and Universal
. He was worked with some of the biggest talents of the early Disney days, like Carl Fallberg
, Frank Thomas
and Ollie Johnson
, who helped him improve his drawings and storytelling abilities.
His break as a director came when Sony offered him to co-direct a short film with Hoyt Yeatman
for Sony Wonder
. This was followed with a stint as a storyboard artist for Chuck Jones
where he learned everything he could about gags, timing and funny business from the master himself.
After a job as the animation director for Universal's smash hit, The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
, Du Chau was then offered a position as a visual development artist at the newly formed Warner Bros. Feature Animation department, where he sold two screenplays. He was attached to one of them as a director and was soon offered to direct the first animated feature for Warner Bros. Quest for Camelot.
Du Chau wrote and sold a couple of screenplays with his writing partner, Kirk DeMicco
. One of the screenplays, titled Sky Boys, is a drama about two Irish immigrants who fight over the love of one girl while building the Empire State Building
. Another screenplay was titled Hong Kong Phooey
, based on the popular cartoon and was sold to Alcon
and Warner Bros. This led to the opportunity to write and direct Racing Stripes
for Warner Bros.
This movie was a successful, live-action family film that tells the story of a zebra who thinks he’s a racehorse. On this film, he worked with Heroes star, Hayden Pannetiere, Dustin Hoffman
, Whoopie Goldberg, Jeff Foxworthy
and numerous other great actors.
The success of Racing Stripes led to the job of directing the feature film titled, Underdog
, for The Walt Disney Company
. The movie was a live-action take on the very popular 60’s cartoon of a flying dog that becomes a superhero. It starred James Belushi
, Jason Lee
and Amy Adams
, and was negatively acclaimed by critics and fans.
He is currently attached to three different movies at several major studios. He just started filming The Krostons, based on the popular Belgian comic book series by Paul Deliege
, his first Stereoscopic 3D movie for which he also wrote the screenplay.
When he's not directing draws and develops his own series of graphic novel
s Fish Out Of Water. His graphic novel work was recently selected at the Festival d'Angouleme 2008 to be exhibited as one of the Unpublished Young talents.
He currently lives and works in San Francisco, California
.
Famous Quotes:
"Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and former animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
. He is well known for directing films like Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes is a 2005 comedy film directed by Frederik Du Chau, the director of Quest for Camelot. Although set in Kentucky, the movie was filmed in Pietermaritzburg and Nottingham Road, South Africa.-Plot:...
and Underdog
Underdog (film)
Underdog is a 2007 American live-action comedy film based on the cartoon series of the same name. The film was directed by Frederik Du Chau and stars Peter Dinklage as Dr. Simon Bar Sinister, Patrick Warburton as Cad Lackley, and Jason Lee as the voice of Underdog. The film also stars Jim Belushi,...
. Before directing Racing Stripes he served as director on the animated feature Quest for Camelot
Quest for Camelot
Quest for Camelot is a 1998 animated feature film from Warner Bros. Animation, based on the novel The King's Damosel by Vera Chapman, starring the voices of Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Eric Idle, Don Rickles, Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Bronson Pinchot, Jaleel White, Gabriel Byrne,...
.
Career
He attended the Academy of Fine ArtsRoyal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent)
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent is one of the oldest art schools in Belgium, now part of the Hogeschool Gent.The Academy was founded in 1741 as a private school in the home of Philippe Karel Marissal, and provided a royal charter in 1771 by empress Maria Theresa of Austria...
in his hometown of Ghent, where he studied film and majored in animation under celebrated filmmaker, Raoul Servais
Raoul Servais
Raoul Servais is a Belgian filmmaker. He was born in Ostend.-Filmography:* 1963: The False Note* 1966: Chromophobia* 1968: Sirene* 1969: Goldframe* 1970: To speak or not to speak* 1971: Operation X-70...
. After graduation, he worked for Disney Paris
Walt Disney Animation France
Walt Disney Animation France was an animation studio located in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, France that worked on both feature length Disney films and television series...
as a freelance animator and directed several local commercials, combining live-action and animation.
The selection of his student film, The Mystery of the Lamb (Het mysterie van het lam), for the Los Angeles Animation Celebration Conference brought him to Hollywood where he was offered a job as an animator and later as a visual development and storyboard artist for Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, and Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. He was worked with some of the biggest talents of the early Disney days, like Carl Fallberg
Carl Fallberg
Carl Robert Fallberg was a cartoonist and artist who created animated feature films and T.V. cartoons for Disney Studios, Hanna-Barbera, and Warner Brothers...
, Frank Thomas
Frank Thomas (animator)
Franklin M. "Frank" Thomas was an American animator. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as the Nine Old Men....
and Ollie Johnson
Ollie Johnson
Ollie Johnson is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'6" forward from Temple University, Johnson played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Jazz, Kansas City Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and...
, who helped him improve his drawings and storytelling abilities.
His break as a director came when Sony offered him to co-direct a short film with Hoyt Yeatman
Hoyt Yeatman
Hoyt Yeatman is a visual effects artist and supervisor. He has worked with Jerry Bruckheimer on a number of films, including Armageddon, Con Air, and The Rock...
for Sony Wonder
Sony Wonder
Sony Wonder is a children and family's music and home video arm of Sony Music Entertainment, founded in 1991. The division once distributed material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media...
. This was followed with a stint as a storyboard artist for Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
where he learned everything he could about gags, timing and funny business from the master himself.
After a job as the animation director for Universal's smash hit, The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving is a 1995 animated direct-to-video film directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the second sequel to the The Land Before Time and the third film in the film franchise.- Plot :...
, Du Chau was then offered a position as a visual development artist at the newly formed Warner Bros. Feature Animation department, where he sold two screenplays. He was attached to one of them as a director and was soon offered to direct the first animated feature for Warner Bros. Quest for Camelot.
Du Chau wrote and sold a couple of screenplays with his writing partner, Kirk DeMicco
Kirk DeMicco
Kirk DeMicco is an American screenwriter, director and producer, who is well-known for directing Space Chimps in 2008. He wrote movie like Quest for Camelot, Racing Stripes, Casper's Scare School and the upcoming film The Croods...
. One of the screenplays, titled Sky Boys, is a drama about two Irish immigrants who fight over the love of one girl while building the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. Another screenplay was titled Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from to . The main character, Hong Kong Phooey, is a superhero who uses Chinese martial arts to fight crime. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, a "mild-mannered"...
, based on the popular cartoon and was sold to Alcon
Alcon Entertainment
Alcon Entertainment, LLC is an American film production company, founded in 1997 by film producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Since its establishment, Alcon Entertainment has developed and financed films that are ultimately distributed by Warner Bros., following a ten-year motion picture...
and Warner Bros. This led to the opportunity to write and direct Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes
Racing Stripes is a 2005 comedy film directed by Frederik Du Chau, the director of Quest for Camelot. Although set in Kentucky, the movie was filmed in Pietermaritzburg and Nottingham Road, South Africa.-Plot:...
for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
This movie was a successful, live-action family film that tells the story of a zebra who thinks he’s a racehorse. On this film, he worked with Heroes star, Hayden Pannetiere, Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
, Whoopie Goldberg, Jeff Foxworthy
Jeff Foxworthy
Jeffrey Marshall "Jeff" Foxworthy is an American comedian, television and radio personality and author. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also comprises Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Known for his "you might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy...
and numerous other great actors.
The success of Racing Stripes led to the job of directing the feature film titled, Underdog
Underdog (film)
Underdog is a 2007 American live-action comedy film based on the cartoon series of the same name. The film was directed by Frederik Du Chau and stars Peter Dinklage as Dr. Simon Bar Sinister, Patrick Warburton as Cad Lackley, and Jason Lee as the voice of Underdog. The film also stars Jim Belushi,...
, for The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
. The movie was a live-action take on the very popular 60’s cartoon of a flying dog that becomes a superhero. It starred James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
, Jason Lee
Jason Lee (actor)
Jason Michael Lee is an American actor and skateboarder known for his role as the title character on the NBC television series My Name is Earl, his portrayal of Syndrome in the film The Incredibles, his role as Dave Seville in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and his work with director Kevin...
and Amy Adams
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous...
, and was negatively acclaimed by critics and fans.
He is currently attached to three different movies at several major studios. He just started filming The Krostons, based on the popular Belgian comic book series by Paul Deliege
Paul Deliège
Paul Deliège was a Belgian artist and writer of comics, and was married with two children.-Biography:Deliège was born in Olne. He started in the daily Le Soir with Père Bricole et Félicien et les Romanis. In 1959, he got into éditions Dupuis where he launched les aventures de Théophile et...
, his first Stereoscopic 3D movie for which he also wrote the screenplay.
When he's not directing draws and develops his own series of graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s Fish Out Of Water. His graphic novel work was recently selected at the Festival d'Angouleme 2008 to be exhibited as one of the Unpublished Young talents.
He currently lives and works in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Famous Quotes:
"Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking."
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director Film director A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:... |
Writer Screenwriter Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:... |
Animator Animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an... |
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| 1989 1989 in film -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million... |
The Smoggies The Smoggies The Smoggies was a Canadian animated children's television show by Cinar that began airing in 1988. In the United States, the show was aired under the name Stop the Smoggies in 1994 on HBO, and in France, as SOS Polluards. In the french part of the Canada, it was aired under the name Touftoufs et... |
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| Het mysterie van het lam | ||||
| 1990–1991 | Tale Spin | |||
| 1992 1992 in film The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards... |
Tom and Jerry: The Movie Tom and Jerry: The Movie Tom and Jerry: The Movie is a 1992 American animated musical film directed by Phil Roman, and produced by Film Roman and Turner Pictures. It is a film adaptation of the Tom and Jerry series of theatrical shorts.... |
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| 1995 1995 in film -Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation.... |
The Land Before Time 3 The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving is a 1995 animated direct-to-video film directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the second sequel to the The Land Before Time and the third film in the film franchise.- Plot :... |
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| 1998 1998 in film -Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:... |
Quest for Camelot Quest for Camelot Quest for Camelot is a 1998 animated feature film from Warner Bros. Animation, based on the novel The King's Damosel by Vera Chapman, starring the voices of Jessalyn Gilsig, Cary Elwes, Gary Oldman, Eric Idle, Don Rickles, Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Bronson Pinchot, Jaleel White, Gabriel Byrne,... |
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| 2005 2005 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005... |
Racing Stripes Racing Stripes Racing Stripes is a 2005 comedy film directed by Frederik Du Chau, the director of Quest for Camelot. Although set in Kentucky, the movie was filmed in Pietermaritzburg and Nottingham Road, South Africa.-Plot:... |
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| 2007 2007 in film This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007... |
Underdog Underdog (film) Underdog is a 2007 American live-action comedy film based on the cartoon series of the same name. The film was directed by Frederik Du Chau and stars Peter Dinklage as Dr. Simon Bar Sinister, Patrick Warburton as Cad Lackley, and Jason Lee as the voice of Underdog. The film also stars Jim Belushi,... |
I recently spoke to someone named Alberto Padilla who i expect to do good. Look for him in the music industry soon. |
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