Chris Sanders

Christopher Michael Sanders (born March 12, 1962) is an American filmmaker, animator, and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and directed with Dean DeBlois; The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco; and The Wild Robot (2024), receiving nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for all of them. In 2020, he made his live-action directorial debut with the adventure-drama The Call of the Wild. He created the character Stitch in 1985, wrote the film's story, and voiced Stitch in most of his media appearances. As of 2025, he is working on sequels to The Wild Robot for DreamWorks and the live-action Lilo & Stitch for Walt Disney Studios.

Infobox

Born

Christopher Michael Sanders (1962-03-12) March 12, 1962 (age 63)Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.

Alma mater

California Institute of the Arts (BFA)

Occupations

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Years active

1984–present

Employers

mw- Walt Disney Animation Studios (1988–2007)DreamWorks Animation (2007–present)Walt Disney Pictures (2025–present)

Spouse

mw- Jessica Steele-Sanders (m. 2015)

Children

Tables

· Filmography › Film

1994

The Lion King

Role(s)

Notes

Story

1998

Mulan

Role(s)

Notes

Yes

1999

Fantasia 2000

Role(s)

Notes

Concept

2002

Lilo & Stitch

Role(s)

Yes

Notes

Yes

2010

How to Train Your Dragon

Role(s)

Yes

Notes

Yes

2013

The Croods

Role(s)

Yes

Notes

Yes

2020

The Call of the Wild

Role(s)

Yes

Notes

The Croods: A New Age

Role(s)

Notes

Story

2024

The Wild Robot

Role(s)

Yes

Notes

Yes

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Other	Notes
1994	The Lion King	No	Story	Yes	Production designer
1998	Mulan	No	Yes	Yes	Story supervisor
1999	Fantasia 2000	No	Concept	No	Segment "Pines of Rome"
2002	Lilo & Stitch	Yes	Yes	Yes	With Dean DeBlois; character designer
2010	How to Train Your Dragon	Yes	Yes	No	With Dean DeBlois
2013	The Croods	Yes	Yes	No	With Kirk DeMicco
2020	The Call of the Wild	Yes	No	No	Live-action debut
2020	The Croods: A New Age	No	Story	No
2024	The Wild Robot	Yes	Yes	No

· Filmography › Film

1988

Garfield: His 9 Lives

Role(s)

animation stylist (segment "Diana's Piano")

1990

The Rescuers Down Under

Role(s)

storyboard artist / character designer / visual development

1991

Beauty and the Beast

Role(s)

storyboard artist / visual development artist

1992

Aladdin

Role(s)

storyboard artist

1994

The Lion King

Year	Title	Notes
1988	Garfield: His 9 Lives	animation stylist (segment "Diana's Piano")
1990	The Rescuers Down Under	storyboard artist / character designer / visual development
1991	Beauty and the Beast	storyboard artist / visual development artist
1992	Aladdin	storyboard artist
1994	The Lion King	storyboard artist

· Filmography › Film

1998

Mulan

Role(s)

Little Brother

1999

Tarzan

Role(s)

Baby Baboon

2002

Lilo & Stitch

Role(s)

Stitch

Notes

Credited as "Christopher Michael Sanders"

2003

Stitch! The Movie

Role(s)

Direct-to-video

2004

The Lion King 1½

Role(s)

Direct-to-video, archive audio

Stitch's Great Escape!

Role(s)

Theme park attraction (closed 2018)

2005

Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch

Role(s)

Direct-to-video

The Origin of Stitch

Role(s)

Direct-to-video short

2006

Leroy & Stitch

Role(s)

Stitch, Leroy, Leroy Clones

Notes

Direct-to-video

2013

The Croods

Role(s)

Belt

2014

Penguins of Madagascar

Role(s)

Antarctic Penguin

2020

The Croods: A New Age

Role(s)

Belt

2023

Once Upon a Studio

Role(s)

Stitch

Notes

Short film, archive audio

2025

Lilo & Stitch

Walt Disney World Railroad

Role(s)

Theme park attraction originally opened in 1971, voiceover only on Main Street, U.S.A. to Fantasyland route during Beyond Big Thunder Mountain expansion construction in Frontierland

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Mulan	Little Brother
1999	Tarzan	Baby Baboon
2002	Lilo & Stitch	Stitch	Credited as "Christopher Michael Sanders"
2003	Stitch! The Movie		Direct-to-video
2004	The Lion King 1½		Direct-to-video, archive audio
2004	Stitch's Great Escape!		Theme park attraction (closed 2018)
2005	Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch		Direct-to-video
2005	The Origin of Stitch		Direct-to-video short
2006	Leroy & Stitch	Stitch, Leroy, Leroy Clones	Direct-to-video
2013	The Croods	Belt
2014	Penguins of Madagascar	Antarctic Penguin
2020	The Croods: A New Age	Belt
2023	Once Upon a Studio	Stitch	Short film, archive audio
2025	Lilo & Stitch
2025	Walt Disney World Railroad		Theme park attraction originally opened in 1971, voiceover only on Main Street, U.S.A. to Fantasyland route during Beyond Big Thunder Mountain expansion construction in Frontierland

· Filmography › Television

1985

Little Muppet Monsters

1986–1987

Role(s)

The Glo Friends

1996

Quack Pack

Role(s)

storyboard artist

1998–1999

Role(s)

Histeria!

Year	Title	Credited as
1984–1988	Muppet Babies	model designer
1985	Little Muppet Monsters
1986–1987	The Glo Friends
1996	Quack Pack	storyboard artist
1998–1999	Histeria!	storyboard artist

· Filmography › Television

Year	Title	Role
2003–2006	Lilo & Stitch: The Series	Stitch, Experiment 627

· Filmography › Video games

1999

Tarzan Activity Center

Role(s)

Baby Baboon

Tarzan

2002

Disney's Lilo & Stitch

Role(s)

Stitch

Notes

Vocal effects only

Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise

Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626

Lilo & Stitch: Hawaiian Adventure

2003

Lilo & Stitch's Island of Adventures

2005

Kingdom Hearts II

Role(s)

English version (including add-on Final Mix+ in 2007)

2008

Disney Think Fast

2010

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

Role(s)

English version

2011

Kinect: Disneyland Adventures

2013

Disney Magical World

2014

Disney Infinity 2.0

2015

Disney Infinity 3.0

Role(s)

Reused audio from Disney Infinity 2.0

2023

Disney Speedstorm

Role(s)

Released in early access in April 2023 and fully released in September 2023;Stitch added in a July/August 2023 update

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Role(s)

Released in early access in 2022; Stitch added in a December 2022 update

Year	Title	Voice role	Notes
1999	Tarzan Activity Center	Baby Baboon
1999	Tarzan	Baby Baboon
2002	Disney's Lilo & Stitch	Stitch	Vocal effects only
	Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise
	Disney's Stitch: Experiment 626
	Lilo & Stitch: Hawaiian Adventure
2003	Lilo & Stitch's Island of Adventures
2005	Kingdom Hearts II		English version (including add-on Final Mix+ in 2007)
2008	Disney Think Fast
2010	Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep		English version
2011	Kinect: Disneyland Adventures
2013	Disney Magical World
2014	Disney Infinity 2.0
2015	Disney Infinity 3.0		Reused audio from Disney Infinity 2.0
2023	Disney Speedstorm		Released in early access in April 2023 and fully released in September 2023;Stitch added in a July/August 2023 update
2023	Disney Dreamlight Valley		Released in early access in 2022; Stitch added in a December 2022 update

· Selected awards and nominations

2003

Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production

Role(s)

Lilo & Stitch

Notes

Nominated

Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production

Role(s)

Nominated

Outstanding Character Animation in a Feature Production

Role(s)

Nominated

2011

How to Train Your Dragon

Role(s)

Nominated

Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production

Role(s)

How to Train Your Dragon

Notes

Won

Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production

Role(s)

Won

How to Train Your Dragon

Role(s)

Nominated

2014

The Croods

Role(s)

Nominated

Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production

Role(s)

The Croods

Notes

Nominated

The Croods

Role(s)

Nominated

The Croods

Role(s)

Nominated

2025

The Wild Robot

Role(s)

Nominated

Annie Awards

Role(s)

1998

Notes

Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production

Outstanding Storyboarding in a Feature Production

Role(s)

Won

The Wild Robot

Role(s)

Won

BAFTA Awards

Role(s)

2011

Notes

Best Animated Film

The Wild Robot

Role(s)

Nominated

Best Children's & Family Film

Role(s)

Nominated

Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Role(s)

2003

Notes

Best Animated Feature

The Wild Robot

Role(s)

Won

Golden Globe Awards

Role(s)

2011

Notes

Best Animated Feature Film

The Wild Robot

Role(s)

Nominated

Ceremony	Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	2003	Best Animated Feature	Lilo & Stitch	Nominated
	2011		How to Train Your Dragon	Nominated
	2014		The Croods	Nominated
	2025		The Wild Robot	Nominated
Annie Awards	1998	Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production	Mulan	Won
	1998	Outstanding Storyboarding in a Feature Production	Mulan	Won
	2003	Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production	Lilo & Stitch	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production		Nominated
		Outstanding Character Animation in a Feature Production		Nominated
	2011	Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production	How to Train Your Dragon	Won
	2011	Outstanding Writing in a Feature Production	How to Train Your Dragon	Won
	2014	Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production	The Croods	Nominated
	2025	Outstanding Directing in a Feature Production	The Wild Robot	Won
BAFTA Awards	2011	Best Animated Film	How to Train Your Dragon	Nominated
	2025	Best Animated Film	The Wild Robot	Nominated
	2025	Best Children's & Family Film	The Wild Robot	Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	2003	Best Animated Feature	Lilo & Stitch	Nominated
	2011		How to Train Your Dragon	Nominated
	2014		The Croods	Nominated
	2025		The Wild Robot	Won
Golden Globe Awards	2011	Best Animated Feature Film	How to Train Your Dragon	Nominated
	2014		The Croods	Nominated
	2025		The Wild Robot	Nominated

References

Sanders incorrectly claims that he's "done Stitch's voice for everything since the first film," not acknowledging Stitch
CTN animation eXpo
https://web.archive.org/web/20101108050539/http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/chris-sanders-and-dean-deblois/
The Wild Robot
https://www.5280.com/chris-sanders-on-the-wild-robot/
https://www.tiktok.com/@chrissandersart/video/7049145567330454789?lang=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@chrissandersart/video/7049145567330454789?lang=en
The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch'
Animation World Network
http://www.awn.com/animationworld/lilo-stitch-revisited-part-i
Hana Hou!
http://www.hanahou.com/pages/magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=389&MagazineID=24
Amidi, Amid
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/chris-sanders-explained-problems-with-the-industry-in-1989-46614.html
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/movies/04hols.html?pagewanted=all
On Animation The Director's Perspective Volume 2
https://books.google.com/books?id=Xsj1EAAAQBAJ
Variety
https://variety.com/2007/digital/markets-festivals/sanders-joins-dreamworks-1117961927/
Cartoon Brew
https://web.archive.org/web/20120229041921/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/sanders-off-crood-film-onto-dragon.html
Deadline
https://deadline.com/2012/09/dreamworks-animations-release-schedule-332806/
"The Croods 2 in the Works at DreamWorks Animation"
https://web.archive.org/web/20130420223135/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=103135
Variety
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/dreamworks-animation-universal-kill-croods-2-sequel-1201916453/
Amidi, Amid
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/dreamworks-confirms-making-croods-sequel-announces-spooky-jack-153604.html
The Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/croods-2-finds-director-1050172
Deadline
https://deadline.com/2017/10/channing-tatum-gambit-to-open-valentines-day-2019-release-1202187558/
The Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/gambit-movie-set-2019-release-date-1048363
Rotten Tomatoes
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_call_of_the_wild_2020/
Box Office Mojo
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt7504726/?ref_=bo_se_r_3
The Numbers
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Call-of-the-Wild-The-(2020)#tab=summary
The Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-preview-sonic-leave-call-wild-cold-1280075
IGN
https://www.ign.com/articles/lilo-stitch-disney-plus-will-reportedly-release-live-action-remake
SYFY Wire
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/lilo-stitch-live-action-remake-christopher-sanders-original-director-interview
The Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/chris-sanders-stitch-in-live-action-lilo-and-stitch-1235399164/
TheWrap
https://www.thewrap.com/the-wild-robot-movie-chris-sanders-dreamworks-animation/
The Wild Robot
https://deadline.com/2024/10/the-wild-robot-sequel-dreamworks-chris-sanders-dreamworks-animation-1236114190/
The Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/lilo-and-stitch-2-brings-back-co-creator-chris-sanders-1236326604/
Lilo & Stitch
https://people.com/lilo-and-stitch-cast-panel-fun-facts-san-diego-comic-con-2025-11774455
Variety
https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/animation-writer-directer-chris-sanders-co-writes-mermaid-book-rescue-sirens-1201558655/
Tumblr
http://web.archive.org/web/20250601145403/https://www.kiskaloo.com/chrissanders
Yahoo!
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/lilo-stitch-creator-chris-sanders-190841434.html
Tumblr
https://www.kiskaloo.com/about
"The 75th Academy Awards | 2003"
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2003
"The 83rd Academy Awards | 2011"
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2011
"The 86th Academy Awards | 2014"
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2014
"The 97th Academy Awards | 2025"
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025
"26th Annie Awards"
https://annieawards.org/legacy/26th-annie-awards
"30th Annie Awards"
https://annieawards.org/legacy/30th-annie-awards
"38th Annie Awards"
https://annieawards.org/legacy/38th-annie-awards
"41st Annie Awards"
https://annieawards.org/legacy/41st-annie-awards
The Wild Robot
https://variety.com/2025/artisans/awards/annie-awards-winners-list-wild-robot-1236300845/
"Chris Sanders – Awards Database"
https://www.bafta.org/awards/search?search=Chris+Sanders
"The 8th Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners and Nominees"
https://web.archive.org/web/20120701004112/https://www.bfca.org/ccawards/2002.php
The Hollywood Reporter
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/black-swan-leads-critics-choice-59107/
Deadline
https://deadline.com/2013/12/critics-choice-movie-awards-nominees-full-list-652803/
Deadline
https://deadline.com/2025/02/critics-choice-awards-winners-2025-1236281548/
How to Train Your Dragon
https://goldenglobes.com/film/how-to-train-your-dragon/
The Croods
https://goldenglobes.com/film/croods-the/
The Wild Robot
https://goldenglobes.com/film/the-wild-robot/
"10 years ago today, Jess and I got married on a beach on the Big Island. I remember it all, every moment. A resting sea turtle was our witness. No matter what else is going on in my life, I can't think of this day without smiling. I love you so, Jess"
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJzpjfdBd3i/