Michael Gracey

Gracey grew up in Melbourne – in Carlton then Kew – then started working in visual effects and music videos before making his reputation in advertising, gaining a name for himself with his Christmas commercials in the UK and US.^[1]

Gracey worked for two years at animation and visual effects studio Animal Logic from 1994 to 1996 as an animator and visual effects compositor.^[2] He left the company to work at Complete Post, during which time Gracey met and began working with director Baz Luhrmann, who invited him to work on Moulin Rouge!. "We worked on what we called 'visual scrapbooks'," Gracey told shots.net. "Baz would shoot some footage of Nicole Kidman singing or something and we'd do little mock-ups, and cut mood reels together."^[3]

Gracey made his feature directorial debut in 2017 with The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum.^[4][5]

Gracey was also slated to direct an adaptation of manga series Naruto,^[6] but was replaced by Destin Daniel Cretton,^[7] and an adaptation of the novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone,^[8] which fell in development hell.

In 2022, Gracey directed a short film for Tourism Australia, G'Day, starring Rose Byrne and Will Arnett, with cameos from Hamish Blake & Andy Lee.^[9] The commercial is the salient feature of the 'Come and Say G’day' campaign.^[10]

Gracey is a member of the Australian production company: FINCH.^[11]

Gracey directed the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man.^[12]

Gracey is COO of the recently formed entertainment company Gracey&CO. He is doing this alongside his sister Cassandra Gracey, who has had a successful career in the Music Industry managing the likes of Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora and Simon Cowell's recently formed band December 10 - who formed off the back of his Netflix documentary "Simon Cowell: The Next Act."

Visual effects

Director

Executive producer

Special thanks

• The Square (2008)