Sam Fell | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1965-11-22) 22 November 19651 Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England |
| Alma mater | Nottingham Trent University2 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | Flushed Away (2006) ParaNorman (2012) Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) |
Samuel Jason Fell (born 22 November 1965)3 is an English animator, director, screenwriter and voice actor.
Career
Fell started his career as director on the short film The Big Cheese for 3 Peach Animation. He then joined Aardman Animations and worked on projects like Pop, Peter Lord's Oscar-nominated short film Wat's Pig, as well as Rex the Runt, before directing the 2002 project Chump. He also developed a children's TV series called Rabbits!.
In 2001, he came up with the story of Flushed Away which he developed through 2002. From 2003, he went on to direct (with David Bowers) the film for Aardman. He also provided the voices for the characters Liam, The Prophet, Ladykiller and Fanseller. From 2008, he went on to direct The Tale of Despereaux for Universal Studios, and also provided the voices of the characters Ned and Smudge.
Fell co-directed Laika's ParaNorman, with Chris Butler, which was released in the United States in August 2012. In May 2013, Fell was set to direct the action comedy film Skiptrace, before he was replaced by Renny Harlin.4 In 2016, he directed the stop motion short The Greatest Gift for Sainsbury's Christmas advertisement campaign.5 In 2022, he directed the stop motion comedy film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023).6 In 2025, he directed the short film Gaza Film Kids for the online initiative "To Gaza, With Love: A Global Anijam".78
Filmography
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Pop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also set designer |
| Wat's Pig | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2001 | Chump | Yes | No | No | |
| 2016 | The Greatest Gift | Yes | No | No | 5 |
| 2025 | Gaza Film Kids | Yes | No | No | 78 |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Big Cheese | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV short |
| 2001 | Rex the Runt | Yes | No | Yes | Directed 3 episodes |
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Story | Executive producer |
Voice actor |
Voice roles |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Flushed Away | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Liam / The Prophet / Ladykiller / Fanseller | Co-directed with David Bowers |
| 2008 | The Tale of Despereaux | Yes | No | No | Yes | Ned / Smudge | Co-directed with Rob Stevenhagen |
| 2012 | ParaNorman | Yes | No | No | No | Co-directed with Chris Butler | |
| 2023 | Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget | Yes | No | Yes | No |
References
References
- Gilbey, Ryan (19 September 2012). "ParaNorman: 'Children will handle the scares. They're such dark little things'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- Notable Alumni, Nottingham Trent University Alumni
- "findmypast.co.uk". search.findmypast.co.uk.
- McNary, Dave (6 May 2013). "Exclusive Media Boards Jackie Chan-Bingbing Fan Comedy". Variety. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- "The Sainsbury's Christmas ad has landed and it comes with a few surprises". 14 November 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- "New 'Wallace & Gromit' Film in Works From Aardman/Netflix; 'Chicken Run 2' Cast and Title Unveiled". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 January 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- Vivarelli, Nick (18 September 2025). "Oscar-Nominated British Filmmaker Joanna Quinn Launches 'To Gaza, With Love: A Global Anijam', Featuring More Than 300 Online Shorts". Variety. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
- "Joanna Quinn". Instagram. Retrieved 25 April 2026.