Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973)"United States Public Records, 1970-2009," database, FamilySearch (May 23, 2014), Travis Andrew Knight, Residence, Hillsboro, Oregon, United States; a third party aggregator of publicly available information. is an American filmmaker, animator, and former rapper. The son of the Nike co-founder Phil Knight, he has worked as the lead animator and is the current CEO for the stop-motion animation studio Laika, including directing the company's films Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) and the upcoming Wildwood (2026). He also directed the live-action films Bumblebee (2018) and Masters of the Universe (2026). Knight has received three nominations for the Academy Awards.
Early life Knight was born in Hillsboro, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. He is the son of Phil Knight (co-founder of Nike), and grandson of publisher William W. Knight. He attended Jesuit High School, near Beaverton, Oregon. He is a graduate of Portland State University.McNichol, Tom. 2009. "Hollywood Knights," Portland Monthly, February. Accessed: May 24, 2012.
Career Music career Knight began his career as a rapper under the name "Chilly Tee". Using a recording studio built in his father's mansion, Knight self-produced a five-song demo album. The demo caught the attention of Bernie Singleton, president of MCA, who passed the demo to producer Hank Shocklee, who liked the demo and agreed to produce Knight's debut album with his production team, The Bomb Squad.
Knight moved into his parents' Manhattan penthouse for six months while recording the album. The Bomb Squad helped him develop fleshed out choruses, as Shocklee felt that Knight was very skilled at writing verses, but his choruses were weak.
In 1993, Knight released the album Get Off Mine. According to Knight, the record did not sell well and he disliked performing. According to Shocklee, "One of the reasons why it didn't catch on was because it was one record that came out of nowhere, and rap is about building momentum." However, Shocklee is proud of the album, saying, "this record still holds up. You can play it now and it doesn't sound dated."
Animation After Travis Knight graduated from Portland State University, Knight's father had become an investor in Will Vinton Studios, and persuaded the company to hire Travis as an intern.Ryan Ball, "Coraline Animator Travis Knight of LAIKA," Animation Magazine, May 7, 2007 Accessed: August 21, 2016. He worked on the television series The PJs for Fox Studios and Gary & Mike on UPN, as well as television commercials and promo spots.
By 2003, Phil Knight became a controlling shareholder in Will Vinton Studios, and Travis Knight was promoted to the board of directors, despite having no management experience himself. Following the firing of Vinton, the Knights began to reorganize the studio, which was rebranded as Laika.
Since 2005, Travis Knight has served as Laika's vice president of animation. He was a producer and lead animator for Coraline (2009), ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014).Laika, "Travis Knight, President & CEO". Accessed: May 24, 2012. He also sits on the Laika board of directors. Along with Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, Knight was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for The Boxtrolls.
He is the current president and CEO of Laika, along with serving on the board of directors of his father's company, Nike, Inc., a position he assumed in 2015.
Directorial career In 2014, Shannon Tindle pitched to Knight a fantasy project based on samurais, which Knight, a fan of fantasy films, approved for development. The film was announced in December 2014, as Kubo and the Two Strings, while Knight was revealed to be producing and directing the film, marking his directorial debut. The film was released in 2016. Along with Arianne Sutner, Knight was again nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for Kubo and the Two Strings.
On March 2, 2017, Knight was revealed to be directing the live-action film Bumblebee from the Transformers film series, marking Knight's first time working on a live-action film, and his first time working in a film without acting as a producer. Knight, a fan of the G1 version of the franchise, used many elements from the G1 version in the film. Bumblebee was released on December 21, 2018, to positive reception from both critics and Transformers fans, with many calling it the best film in the franchise.
In April 2019, he was set to direct an adaptation of Six Million Dollar Man starring Mark Wahlberg. In September 2021, Knight was announced to direct a film adaptation of Wildwood, with Chris Butler writing the screenplay. In April 2022, he was announced to direct a new Laika stop-motion neo-noir film titled The Night Gardener.Laika Teams With 'Ozark' Creator Bill Dubuque for 'The Night Gardener'
On May 1, 2024, it was confirmed that Knight would direct a live-action Masters of the Universe movie for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films. The film was released on June 5, 2026.
On June 20, 2024, it was announced that Knight would direct an animated adaptation of the novel Piranesi.
Personal life Travis Knight, his wife Maryse Knight, and their family live in Oregon.
Filmography
Year Title Director Producer Notes 2012 ParaNorman Also animator 2014 The Boxtrolls 2016 Kubo and the Two Strings 2018 Bumblebee Live-action debut 2019 Missing Link2026 Masters of the Universe WildwoodPost-production
Animator only Year Title Notes2000 Boyer Brothers TV movie The PJs Episode: "Haiti and the Tramp" 2001 Gary & Mike 2002 Día de Los MuertosShort film 2005 Moongirl 2009 Coraline
Awards
Year Award Category Film Result2010 Annie Awards Character Animation in a Feature Production Coraline Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion PictureShared with Trey Thomas 2012 Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Animated Feature FilmShared with Arianne Sutner ParaNorman 2013 Annie Awards Character Animation in a Feature Production Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Animated PictureShared with Arianne Sutner Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion PicturesShared with Arianne Sutner Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion PictureShared with Chris Butler, Sam Fell & Brad Schiff 2015 Academy Awards Best Animated FeatureShared with Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable The Boxtrolls Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Feature Production Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion PicturesShared with David Bleiman Ichioka Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion PictureShared with Jason Stalman, Mike Laubach & Kyle Williams Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion PictureShared with Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable & Brad Schiff 2017 Academy Awards Best Animated FeatureShared with Arianne Sutner Kubo and the Two Strings Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production British Academy Film Awards Best Animated Film Chicago Film Critics Association Most Promising Filmmaker Producers Guild of America Award Best Animated Motion PictureShared with Arianne Sutner Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated FeatureShared with Steve Emerson, Brad Schiff and Arianne Sutner 2020 Academy Awards Best Animated FeatureShared with Arianne Sutner and Chris Butler Missing Link Golden Globe Awards Best Animated Feature FilmShared with Arianne Sutner and Chris Butler
References
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