Dan Scanlon

Early life Scanlon grew up in Clawson, Michigan. When he was one year old and his brother three years old, their father died, and when they were teenagers, a relative gave them a brief audio recording of their father. Scanlon has said that these experiences helped inspire the story of Onward. He graduated with a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 1998.

Career Scanlon was an animator for The Indescribable Nth and Joseph: King of Dreams. He served as a storyboard artist for The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea and 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure.

Scanlon joined Pixar in 2001, Tracy was Scanlon's first feature film as a writer/director. He also served as a member of the senior creative team on Brave and Inside Out.

Scanlon directed the prequel film of Monsters, Inc., Monsters University, released in 2013, to positive reviews and commercial success. He subsequently directed the fantasy-road trip film Onward (2020), It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost to another Pixar film Soul.

In February 2021, Scanlon stated that he and Kori Rae would develop another original Pixar feature film. In November 2024, Scanlon stated he was leaving Pixar, but would not be against working with the company in a consultancy role in the future.

Filmography

Feature films

Independent Films

Short films and series Year TitleDirectorWriterAnimatorExecutiveProducerOtherNotes 2000The Indescribable Nth 2006 Mater and the Ghostlight Original Story 2013 Party Central 2022 Cars on the Road Disney+ Original short films, Pixar Senior Creative Team 2024 Dream Productions Disney+ Original long-form limited series, Pixar Senior Creative Team 2025 Win or Lose

Other Credits Year Title Notes 2008Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales Special Thanks 2017 Lou 2019 Purl Float 2020 Out