Sanjay Patel

Sanjay Patel
Patel at the 2023 Texas Book Festival
Born
1974 or 1975 (age 51–52)

London, United Kingdom
OccupationAnimator
Years active1996–present

Sanjaykumar "Sanjay" Patel is a British-born American animator, illustrator and author who has worked in the animation department of various projects, most of them animated films released by Pixar.

Background

Born in London, United Kingdom to Gujarati Indian parents, Patel moved to the United States with his family at the age of four. His father bought a motel in San Bernardino, California, where Patel grew up.

Career

Patel is known for directing the short animated film Sanjay's Super Team (2015), which was inspired by his childhood. The film received a nomination in the category of Best Animated Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards and for Best Animated Short Subject at the 43rd Annie Awards.

Since 1996, Patel has worked as an animator on numerous Pixar films such as Monsters, Inc. (2001), Ratatouille (2007), Cars (2006), Monsters University (2013), Toy Story 2 (1999) and The Incredibles (2004) and served as a character developer on the latter two films.

He also authored Ramayana: Divine Loophole, lending a whimsical illustration style and lighthearted voice to the Hindu epic Ramayana.

Patel is the creator of Ghee Happy, an animated series that portrays the Hindu deities Ganesha, Kali, Krishna and Saraswati as children discovering their powers in the titular daycare. The series was picked up by Netflix Animation in 2019, but was later dropped due to leadership changes at the company. In 2023, Ghee Happy was reworked as an online series for YouTube. Books, exhibits, and apparel have been produced for the brand.

In June 2024, it was announced that Patel was developing an animated film with Warner Bros Animation. Titled Bad Karma, the film follows the young demon princess Chandra and the legendary demigod Hanuman on an epic tale about courage, loyalty, and an unlikely friendship.

Filmography

References

  1. 1 2 Roy, Sandip (March 20, 2010). "Pixar animator Sanjay Patel, who has worked on films like 'Ratatouille' and 'The Incredibles', reloads the Ramayana". The Times of India. Mumbai. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  2. ↑ Chhabra, Aseem (January 15, 2016). "A Pixar short and a personal touch". The Hindu. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ Keegan, Rebecca (April 29, 2015). "Pixar artist Sanjay Patel gets personal with 'Sanjay's Super Team'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  4. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (January 14, 2016). "Oscar Nominations: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 1, 2015). "Annie Awards Noms: 'Inside Out', 'Anomalisa', 'Shaun The Sheep', 'Good Dinosaur' & 'Peanuts ' Up For Best Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Indian-Origin Director Sanjay Patel Debuts With Film on Hindu Deities". NDTV. October 14, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ramayana: Divine Loophole Hardcover – 10 Feb 2010. ASIN 081187107X.
  8. ↑ "Sanjay Patel: A Hipster's Guide to Hinduism". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  9. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (October 9, 2019). "Netflix Greenlights 'Ghee Happy' Animated Series From Sanjay Patel". Deadline. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ Official Trailer 🎥 | Ghee Happy | @gheehappystudio, November 6, 2023, retrieved November 6, 2023
  11. ↑ "About - gheehappy". www.gheehappy.com. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  12. ↑ Lang, Jamie; Hopewell, John (June 12, 2024). "New 'Regular Show,' 'Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends' Series Unveiled at Annecy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.