Thomas McGrath (born August 7, 1964) is an American voice actor, animator, screenwriter, and film director. He is known for co-directing the DreamWorks animated film Madagascar with Eric Darnell. The film later spawned three sequels and an animated series. McGrath also stepped in on Flushed Away to help make improvements prior to its release. He has also directed other DreamWorks animated films such as Megamind and The Boss Baby.
Life and career[]
McGrath was born and raised in Lynnwood, Washington. He studied Industrial Design at the University of Washington and graduated from the Character Animation program at Cal Arts. McGrath immediately obtained a job as an animator at Paramount Feature Animation. His first work was a animator for character animator for East of the Sun and West of the Moon. While working at Paramount, McGrath's experience in both television and feature animation includes work as an animator on Ralph Bakshi's film Cool World (starring Brad Pitt), storyboard artist and director for the popular series The Ren and Stimpy Show, animator on the Joe Pytka-directed Space Jam (starring Michael Jordan), and storyboard artist on the live action film Cats & Dogs and worked as storyboard artist and concept artist/prop and set designer for How the Grinch Stole Christmas (directed by Ron Howard).
McGrath made his film directing debut as the co-director, writer and co-creator of Madagascar (along with Eric Darnell), where he also created the memorable squad of penguin characters and voiced their leader, Skipper. He also reprised his role as Skipper and co-directed and co-wrote the sequel, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He worked on The Penguins of Madagascar, a Madagascar spin-off TV series, as the voice of Skipper, and directed the DreamWorks animated feature Megamind (starring Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and David Cross), released in November 2010.
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Art / Animation department |
Voice actor | Voice role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989 | East of the Sun and West of the Moon | No | No | Yes | No | character animator | |
1990 | Little Helpers To the Rescue | No | No | Yes | No | directing animator | |
1991 | Island of Parrots | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
1992 | Cool World | No | No | Yes | No | animation designer animator layout artist | |
The World of Fairy Tales | No | No | Yes | No | animator
layout artist | ||
1994 | Meredith's Journey | No | No | Yes | No | supervising animator | |
1995 | A Nutcracker Tale | No | No | Yes | No | ||
1996 | Space Jam | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
Natalia's Story | No | No | Yes | No | |||
1997 | Animated Quest | No | No | Yes | No | supervising animator
storyboard artist | |
Mistress Masham's Repose | No | No | Yes | No | |||
1998 | Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus | No | No | Yes | No | key animator layout artist | |
1998 | Future Princess | No | No | Yes | No | supervising animator
storyboard artist | |
2000 | ToonMania: The Zany Quest Begins | Yes | No | No | No | co-directed with Alexandra Farwell, Penny Fleischer andMatthew O'Callaghan | |
How the Grinch Stole Christmas | No | No | Yes | No | storyboard artist | ||
2001 | Cats & Dogs | No | No | Yes | No | ||
The Viking Warrior | No | No | Yes | No | storyboard artist
supervising animator | ||
2002 | The Wizards | No | No | Yes | No | supervising animator | |
2005 | Madagascar | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Skipper Fossa |
co-directed with Eric Darnell |
2006 | Flushed Away | No | No | No | Yes | Action Figure Artist |
|
2007 | Shrek the Third | No | No | No | Yes | Gary | |
2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Skipper Lemur |
co-directed with Eric Darnell |
2009 | Monsters vs. Aliens | No | No | No | Yes | Wilson | |
2010 | Megamind | Yes | No | No | Yes | Lord Scott Prison Guard |
|
2011 | Puss in Boots | No | No | No | Yes | Bar Thief | |
2012 | Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted | Yes | No | No | Yes | Skipper First Policeman |
co-directed with Eric Darnell & Conrad Vernon |
2014 | Mr. Peabody & Sherman | No | No | No | Yes | Odysseus | |
2014 | Penguins of Madagascar | No | No | No | Yes | Skipper | executive producer |
2017 | The Boss Baby | Yes | No | No | Yes | TV Chef | |
2021 | The Boss Baby: Family Business | Yes | No | No | No | ||
2022 | Puss in Boots: The Last Wish | No | No | No | Yes | special thanks | |
TBA | The Magic School Bus | Yes | No | No | No |
Short film[]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Art / Animation |
Actor | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | The Thing What Lurked in the Tub | No | No | Yes | No | monster animator | |
Lea Press on Limbs | No | No | No | Yes | (voice) | ||
1990 | Lena | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
1993 | The D.A.R.E. Report: The Land of Decisions and Choices | No | No | Yes | No | character layout | |
1994 | The Secret Crystal | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
Friendly Fox in: Farm Mayhem | No | No | Yes | No | |||
1995 | The Louie N' Louie Show | Yes | No | Yes | No | storyboard artist | |
1997 | The Sounds of the Whale | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
1999 | Herd | No | No | No | Yes | Fed No. 5 | live-action role |
2000 | Quest for the Master | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
2001 | Imp, Inc. | No | No | Yes | No | animation layout | |
Studiotopia | Yes | No | No | No | |||
2002 | Crawler, Liger and Ratty in: Fighting for Food | No | No | Yes | No | animator | |
The Wizards: Into the Dimension | No | No | Yes | No | |||
2005 | The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper | No | No | No | Yes | Skipper (voice) | |
2009 | Merry Madagascar | No | Yes | No | Yes | Skipper (voice) Additional voices |
|
2013 | Madly Madagascar | No | No | No | Yes | Skipper (voice) | |
2014 | Almost Home | No | No | No | Yes | Jeff (voice) |
Television series[]
Year | Title | Director | Art / Animation department |
Creative consultant |
Actor | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992-1997 | ToonMania | Yes | Yes | No | No | director (87 episodes)
| |
1993-1996 | The Ren & Stimpy Show | Yes | Yes | No | No | director (2 episodes) layout artist (21 episodes) background designer (14 episodes) storyboard artist (10 episodes) | |
1996 | KaBlam! | Yes | Yes | director & storyboard artist (segment "The Louie and Louie Show") | |||
2008-2015 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Yes | Yes | Skipper (voice) | 88 episodes | ||
2014 | All Hail King Julien | Yes |
Video games[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Madagascar | Skipper (voice) | Uncredited |
2008 | Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa | ||
2009 | Madagascar Kartz | ||
2011 | The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns – Again! | ||
2012 | Madagascar 3: The Video Game |