Chris Sanders
Biography
Christopher Michael Sanders was born on March 12, 1962, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. He is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor with forty-four known credits. His work includes co-writing and co-directing Lilo and Stitch in 2002 and How to Train Your Dragon in 2010 with Dean DeBlois, co-directing The Croods in 2013 with Kirk DeMicco, and directing The Wild Robot in 2024. He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for all four of these films. In 2020, he directed his first live-action adventure drama film, The Call of the Wild. He also created the character Stitch in 1985, wrote the story for Lilo and Stitch, and provided the voice for Stitch in almost all of his media appearances.
Career overview
Christopher Michael Sanders, born March 12, 1962, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor with a total of forty-four known credits. His career encompasses notable work in writing for film and television, with a primary focus on animated and live-action features.
Sanders co-wrote and directed Lilo and Stitch in 2002 alongside Dean DeBlois, a film for which he also created the character Stitch in 1985, wrote the story, and voiced the character in almost all of his media appearances. He also co-wrote and directed the live-action adaptation of Lilo and Stitch. In addition, Sanders co-wrote and directed How to Train Your Dragon in 2010 with Dean DeBlois, co-directed The Croods in 2013 with Kirk DeMicco, and directed The Wild Robot in 2024. He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for Lilo and Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, and The Wild Robot.
In 2020, Sanders made his live-action directorial debut with the adventure drama The Call of the Wild.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
72 titles- Lilo & Stitch 2 (2028) Writer
- Lilo & Stitch 2 (2028) Director
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2027) Executive Producer
- Lilo & Scratch (2026) as Stitch (voice)
- The Bad Guys 2 (2025) Thanks
- Lilo & Stitch (2025) as Stitch (voice)
- Lilo & Stitch (2025) Original Film Writer
- How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Executive Producer
- The Wild Robot (2024) Director
- The Wild Robot (2024) Screenplay
- Once Upon a Studio (2023) as Stitch (voice) (archive sound)
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) Thanks
- How Not to Draw (2022) as Stitch (voice)
- The Croods: Family Tree (2021) Creator
- The Call of the Wild (2020) Director
- The Croods: A New Age (2020) as Belt (voice)
- The Croods: A New Age (2020) Characters
- The Croods: A New Age (2020) Story
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) Executive Producer
- The Boss Baby (2017) Thanks
- Dawn of the Croods (2015) as Belt (voice)
- Dawn of the Croods (2015) as Additional Voices (voice)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) Executive Producer
- Penguins of Madagascar (2014) as Antarctic Penguin (voice)
- The Croods (2013) as Belt (voice)
- The Croods (2013) Director
- The Croods (2013) Screenplay
- The Croods (2013) Story
- DreamWorks Dragons (2012) Creator
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Director
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010) Screenplay
- Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) as Self (archive footage)
- Stitch! (2008) Creator
- Leroy & Stitch (2006) as Stitch / Leroy (voice)
- Leroy & Stitch (2006) Characters
- Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) as Stitch (voice)
- Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005) Characters
- The Origin of Stitch (2005) as Stitch (voice)
- The Origin of Stitch (2005) Characters
- The Lion King 1½ (2004) as Additional Voices (voice)
- The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' (2004) as Self
- The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' (2004) Director
- Timon & Pumbaa Virtual Safari 2.0 (2004) as Experiment 626 / Stitch (voice) (archive footage)
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003) as Stitch (voice)
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003) Characters
- Lilo & Stitch: The Series (2003) Creator
- Stitch! The Movie (2003) as Stitch (voice)
- Stitch! The Movie (2003) Characters
- Lilo & Stitch (2002) as Stitch (voice)
- Lilo & Stitch (2002) Director
- Lilo & Stitch (2002) Character Designer
- Lilo & Stitch (2002) Idea
- Lilo & Stitch (2002) Writer
- Lilo & Stitch Read-Along (2002) as Stitch (voice)
- Tarzan (1999) as Additional Voices (voice)
- Mulan (1998) Screenplay
- Mulan (1998) Story Supervisor
- Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars (1996) as Park Keeper
- Toy Story (1995) Character Designer
- The Lion King (1994) Production Design
- The Lion King (1994) Story
- Aladdin (1992) Story
- Beauty and the Beast (1991) Story
- Beauty and the Beast (1991) Visual Development
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990) Storyboard
- The Rescuers Down Under (1990) Visual Development
- Toby the Badly Animated Boy (1984) Director
- Fun with Father (1983) Director
- Fun with Father (1983) Writer
- Fun with Father (1983) Animation
- The Wild Robot Escapes Screenplay
- The Wild Robot Escapes Executive Producer
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Chris Sanders best known for?
Chris Sanders is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The Bad Guys 2 (2025), Lilo & Stitch (2025), Lilo & Stitch (2025), How to Train Your Dragon (2025).
When and where was Chris Sanders born?
Chris Sanders was born on March 12, 1962 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.
How many credits does Chris Sanders have?
Chris Sanders has accumulated over 72 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1983 to 2028.
What is Chris Sanders's background in cinema and television?
Christopher Michael Sanders was born on March 12, 1962, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. He is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor with forty-four known credits. His work includes co-writing and co-directing Lilo and Stitch in 2002 and How to Train Your Dragon in 2010 with Dean DeBlois, co-dir...