Michel Ocelot

Michel Ocelot (born 27 October 1943) is a renowned French writer, designer, storyboard artist and director of animated films and television programs. He is well-known for his 1998 debut feature 'Kirikou and the Sorceress'. His earlier films and television work have won him noteworthy awards like Césars and British Academy Film Awards. He received the chevalier of the Légion d'honneur on 23 October 2009, and later, in 2015, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of Animated Film - Animafest Zagreb. His career was kickstarted in Guinea, West Africa during his childhood before moving back to Anjou, France in his adolescence.

Despite never being formally taught animation, he studied the decorative arts at the Ecole régionale des Beaux-Arts in Angers, the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris, and the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. He now operates from an atelier-apartment in Paris. His work in animation is characterized by employing a different medium for each new project, all while keeping within the genres of fairy tales and fairytale fantasy. He was president of the Association international du film d'animation (ASIFA) from 1994 to 2000 and has solidified his name in continental Europe and is greatly respected by Studio Ghibli's Isao Takahata.