Kirsten Lepore
American animator
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Kirsten Lepore is an American animator known for her stop-motion short films, including Sweet Dreams (2008), Bottle (2011), and Move Mountain (2013). She is known for her 2016 stop-motion episode of the American cartoon series Adventure Time entitled "Bad Jubies",[1][2][3] as well as her work writing, directing, and executive producing the I Am Groot short series for Disney+.[4]
Kirsten Lepore | |
|---|---|
| Known for | Animation, stop motion |
| Spouse(s) | Daniel Kwan (m. 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Education
Lepore was raised in South Brunswick, New Jersey.[5] In an interview with The A.V. Club, Lepore explained that, as a child, she was fascinated by the animation techniques used by both Disney and the Jim Henson Company.[6] Lepore attended South Brunswick High School,[5] where she began to earnestly explore art, and as a young adult, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Maryland Institute College of Art, where she studied "experimental animation". Her undergraduate thesis was the short stop motion film entitled Sweet Dreams (2008).[6][7] Following college, she applied to studios and freelanced on the side, but she "never heard back from the studios, and the freelance work kept coming."[7] She returned to her parents' house and began working on ads and small production projects. During this phase in her life, she felt that she did not have enough technical expertise.[6] As a result, she attended CalArts, graduating in 2012 with a Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation.[6][8] Her graduate thesis, a short film entitled Move Mountain (2013), caught the attention of Adventure Time showrunner Adam Muto, and Lepore guest-animated the episode "Bad Jubies".[6][9]
Accolades
Lepore has won various awards, including a Student Annie Award, a South by Southwest special jury award for animation, and an Annecy + award for best animation.[10] She has also won two Children's and Family Emmy Awards for her work on I Am Groot and the Gabby's Kid Power Challenge public service initiative, respectively.[11]
Personal life
Lepore has been married to fellow filmmaker and animator Daniel Kwan since 2016, and together they have one son.[12][13]
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Description | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Story from North America | Short film | Director, animator[14] |
| 2008 | Sweet Dreams | Short film, BFA thesis | Writer, director |
| 2011 | Bottle | Short film | Writer, director |
| 2013 | Move Mountain | Short film, MFA thesis | Writer, director |
| 2014–15 | "Bad Jubies" | Adventure Time episode | Writer, storyboard artist, director |
| 2016 | Hi Stranger | Short film | Writer, director, animator |
| 2018 | "It's My Party" | Summer Camp Island episode | Writer, storyboard artist |
| 2021 | Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | Film | Animation director[15] |
| 2022 | Everything Everywhere All At Once | Film | Visual effects artist[5] |
| 2022–23 | I Am Groot | Short film series | Writer, director, executive producer[16] |