Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1970-06-07
- Born Place: Brockville, Ontario, Canada
Also Known As:
Dean DeBois, Dean Allan DeBlois
Dean DeBlois
Dean Allan DeBlois, born on June 7, 1970, in Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, is a highly acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known for his significant contributions to animated cinema, particularly for co-writing and co-directing the Oscar-nominated Walt Disney Animation Studios film Lilo & Stitch (2002) alongside Chris Sanders. However, his most widely recognized work is the universally praised How to Train Your Dragon film trilogy for DreamWorks Animation, for which he served as writer and director for all three installments, the first of which was also co-directed with Chris Sanders.DeBlois's career began in animation, working as an assistant animator and layout artist at Hinton Animation Studios/Lacewood Productions, and later at Don Bluth's Sullivan Bluth Studios in Ireland, contributing to films like Thumbelina and A Troll in Central Park. He joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1994, where he worked as a storyboard artist and served as Head of Story for Mulan (1998) before co-directing Lilo & Stitch.Beyond his animated blockbusters, DeBlois has also ventured into live-action filmmaking, most notably directing the documentary Heima (2007) about the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. His continued collaboration with Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has led to the singer-songwriter's contributions to the How to Train Your Dragon soundtracks. DeBlois is currently at the helm of the highly anticipated live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon (2025), serving as director, writer, and co-producer, bringing his beloved animated story to a new cinematic dimension. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, solidifying his reputation as a versatile and visionary storyteller in both animation and live-action.
