Shane Acker
American animator, film director, screenwriter, and animation teacher
title: "Shane Acker" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1971-births", "animators-from-illinois", "american-male-screenwriters", "american-animated-film-directors", "writers-from-wheaton,-illinois", "living-people", "people-from-wheaton,-illinois", "ucla-school-of-the-arts-and-architecture-alumni", "ucla-school-of-theater,-film-and-television-alumni", "university-of-florida-college-of-design,-construction-and-planning--alumni", "american-visual-effects-artists", "film-directors-from-illinois", "screenwriters-from-illinois"] description: "American animator, film director, screenwriter, and animation teacher" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Acker" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American animator, film director, screenwriter, and animation teacher ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Shane Acker |
| image | ShaneAcklerCCJuly09.jpg |
| caption | Acker in July 2009 |
| birth_name | Shane Richard Acker |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Wheaton, Illinois, U.S. |
| occupation | Animator, film director, screenwriter, animation teacher |
| alma_mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| years_active | 1999–present |
| spouse | Sibyl Wickersheimer |
| :: |
| name = Shane Acker | image = ShaneAcklerCCJuly09.jpg | caption = Acker in July 2009 | birth_name = Shane Richard Acker | birth_date = | birth_place = Wheaton, Illinois, U.S. | occupation = Animator, film director, screenwriter, animation teacher | alma_mater = University of California, Los Angeles | years_active = 1999–present | spouse = Sibyl Wickersheimer
Shane Richard Acker (born 1971) is an American animator, film director, screenwriter and animation teacher known for directing 9, which is based on his 2005 Academy Award-nominated short film of the same title. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
Early life
As a child, Acker was hyperactive, so his parents encouraged him to draw. Acker originally set a goal of becoming an architect; he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Florida in 1994 as well as a master's degree from the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.
Career
Upon graduating in 1999, Acker decided to become a film-maker and went to study at UCLA's Animation Workshop. There he created The Hangnail, The Astounding Talents of Mr. Grenade, and 9. In 2004, Acker earned a master's degree in animation.
Acker wrote, directed, and co-animated the award-winning animated short film 9, which won a student award, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and was shown at SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater. Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas) saw Acker's short film and, with Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) from Focus Features, produced the feature film with Attitude Studios in Luxembourg and Starz Animation in Toronto. Acker was the head director and storywriter.
He is also a visiting professor at Loyola Marymount University.
From January 2009 to 2010 co-directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas which was due for release in late 2011 but has yet to be released.
In June 2011, Acker was chosen to direct a new live-action adaptation of the children's book and TV series Thomas & Friends. He was set to work from a script by Chris Viscardi, Will McRobb and Josh Klausner. Wētā FX would have created the film's visual effects with design by Wētā Workshop Design Dept, but the film was canceled after Mattel's acquisition of HIT Entertainment.
In 2011, Acker formed Benthos Studio, an animation production company with partners Greg Little, Jack Mitchell and Brown Bag Films.
In 2012, Shane Acker confirmed that he planned to work with Valve to create his next film, Deep. Like 9, the film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, although it has no relation to 9 and is set in a different universe, where World War III has forced humans underground. Shane Acker has expressed his interest in creating more PG-13 animated films, of which 9 and Deep are such.
As of 2021, most of Acker's feature films, including his animated feature film Deep, are yet to be released. Acker completed the short film Crusoe, which was shown at the Berlin Short Film Festival. The film won the award for Best Science Fiction Short Film at the festival.
Influences
Shane Acker has cited The Brothers Quay, Don Hertzfeldt, Jan Švankmajer, and brothers Wolfgang and Christoph Lauenstein as inspirations.
Filmography
Feature films and TV series
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 9 | Directorial debut | ||
| Wrote story | ||||
| 2023 | Fright Krewe | TV series; Executive producer | ||
| :: |
Short films
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Animator | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Hangnail | ||||
| 2003 | The Astounding Talents of Mr. Grenade | Also cinematographer | |||
| 2005 | 9 | ||||
| 2010 | A Jake and a Tom | ||||
| Plus Minus | |||||
| 2021 | Crusoe | Also cinematographer, production designer, and producer. | |||
| :: |
Other works from films
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Animator |
| 2012 | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | Previsualization Artist |
| Total Recall | ||
| 2013 | Oz the Great and Powerful | |
| 47 Ronin | Previsualization Supervisor | |
| :: |
Video games
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Guild Wars | Cutscene animator |
| :: |
Critical reception
::data[format=table]
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | IMDb | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 58% | 7.1/10 | 60 |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | MicroCineFest Audience Choice Award | Best Short | The Hangnail | |
| 2005 | Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Graduation Films (Junior Jury Award) | 9 | |
| Graduation Films (Special Distinction) | ||||
| BendFilm Festival Jury Prize | Best Animated Short | |||
| Student Academy Award | Animation | |||
| 2006 | Academy Award | Best Animated Short Film | ||
| 2021 | Berlin Short Film Festival | Best Science-Fiction Short Film | Crusoe | |
| :: |
References
References
- "Independent Exposure - Shane Acker".
- "People Search Report on Shane Richard Acker in Los Angeles, CA".
- Schmelzer, Randi. (April 1, 2006). "Cartoon Character: Shane Acker". UCLA Magazine.
- "Shane Acker — Professional Profile".
- "Plus Minus | A short film by the students of Gnomon School of Visual Effects".
- (2011-07-11). "Gnomon Studios Unveils Shane Acker's New Short Plus Minus | Animation World Network".
- Fleming, Mike. (2011-06-08). "'9' Helmer Shane Acker Boards Feature Based On The Thomas The Tank Engine Toys".
- (March 6, 2021). "Aaron (@Bosherstudios) on Twitter".
- Sandy Schaefer. (2012-06-08). "'9' Director Teaming With Valve for Post-Apocalyptic Animated Film, 'Deep'".
- "Shane Acker".
- "Crusoe Movie Poster".
- Ogden, Steve. (2007). "Shane Acker's 9: A Conversation With The Director".
- ComingSoon.net. (2023-06-09). "DreamWorks' Fright Krewe Announced for Hulu and Peacock".
- (2010). "A Jake and a Tom". Hyler, West.
- "9 (2009) - Rotten Tomatoes".
- "9 (2009) - IMDb".
- "Critic Reviews for 9 - Metacritic".
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