Januel Mercado

Director

Born: November 23, 1984 (41 years old)

Place of birth: Stockton, California, USA

Biography

Januel Patricio Mercado (born November 23, 1984) is a Filipino-American feature animation director, storyboard artist, and writer. A San Jose State University graduate, he has been with DreamWorks Animation since 2008. He started as a story artist on Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and contributed to Turbo (2013), Penguins of Madagascar (2014), and Trolls (2016). Mercado made his co-directorial debut on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) alongside Joel Crawford, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA.

Filmography (7)

• The Croods: A New Age (2020, ★ 7.4)
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022, ★ 8.2)
• Dear Diary: World's First Pranks (2021, ★ 6.8)
• The Trident (2023, ★ 6.2)
• Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011, ★ 7.1)
• Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023, ★ 7.2)
• Harvey Beaks (2015, ★ 6.5)