Travis Knight

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This article is about an animator. For the basketball player, see Travis Knight (basketball).

Travis Knight
Knight in 2016
Born (1973-09-13) September 13, 1973 (age 52)
Hillsboro, Oregon, U.S.
Alma materPortland State University
Occupations
  • Animator
  • film producer
  • film director
  • actor
Years active1990–present
Children2
FatherPhil Knight
RelativesWilliam W. Knight (grandfather)
Musical career
Also known asChilly Tee
GenresHip hop

Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973)[1] is an American animator, producer, director, actor, and former rapper. The son of the Nike co-founder Phil Knight, he has worked as the lead animator and 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 the upcoming Masters of the Universe (2026). Knight received three nominations for the Academy Awards.

Early life

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Knight was born in Hillsboro, Oregon,[2] 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.[3]

Career

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Music career

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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.[4][5] 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.[5]

Knight moved into his parents' Manhattan penthouse for six months while recording the album.[4] 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.[5]

In 1993, Knight released the album Get Off Mine. According to Knight, the record did not sell well and he disliked performing.[3] 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."[5] However, Shocklee is proud of the album, saying, "this record still holds up. You can play it now and it doesn't sound dated."[5]

Animation

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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.[3][4][6] 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.[4] Following the firing of Vinton, the Knights began to reorganize the failing 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).[7] He also sits on the Laika board of directors.[8] 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.[9]

Directorial career

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In 2014, Shannon Tindle pitched to Knight a fantasy project based on samurais, which Knight, a fan of fantasy films, approved for development.[10] 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.[11] The film was released in 2016.[12] Along with Arianne Sutner, Knight was again nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, for Kubo and the Two Strings.

Knight at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con for Bumblebee

On March 2, 2017, Knight was revealed to be directing the live-action film Bumblebee from the Transformers film series,[13] marking Knight's first time working on a live-action film, and his first time working in a film without acting as a producer.[13] Knight, a fan of the G1 version of the franchise, used many elements from the G1 version in the film.[14] 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.[15]

In April 2019, he was set to direct an adaptation of Six Million Dollar Man starring Mark Wahlberg.[16] In September 2021, Knight was announced to direct a film adaptation of Wildwood, with Chris Butler writing the screenplay.[17] In April 2022, he was announced to direct a new Laika stop-motion neo-noir film titled The Night Gardener.[18]

On May 1, 2024, it was confirmed that Knight will direct a live-action Masters of the Universe movie for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films. The film is set for release on June 5, 2026.[19]

On June 20, 2024, it was announced that Knight would direct an animated adaptation of the novel Piranesi.[20]

Personal life

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Travis Knight, his wife Maryse Knight, and their family live in Oregon.[21]

Filmography

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Year Title Director Producer Notes
2012 ParaNorman No Yes Also animator
2014 The Boxtrolls No Yes
2016 Kubo and the Two Strings Yes Yes
2018 Bumblebee Yes No Live-action debut
2019 Missing Link No Yes
2026 Wildwood Yes Yes Post-production
Masters of the Universe Yes No
Animator only
Year Title Notes
2000 Boyer Brothers TV movie
The PJs Episode: "Haiti and the Tramp"
2001 Gary & Mike
2002 Día de Los Muertos Short film
2005 Moongirl
2009 Coraline

Awards

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Year Award Category Film Result[22]
2010 Annie Awards Character Animation in a Feature Production Coraline Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Shared with Trey Thomas		 Nominated
2012 Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Animated Feature Film
Shared with Arianne Sutner		 ParaNorman Nominated
2013 Annie Awards Character Animation in a Feature Production Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Animated Picture
Shared with Arianne Sutner		 Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
Shared with Arianne Sutner		 Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Shared with Chris Butler, Sam Fell & Brad Schiff		 Nominated
2015 Academy Awards Best Animated Feature
Shared with Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable		 The Boxtrolls Nominated
Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Feature Production Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
Shared with David Bleiman Ichioka		 Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Shared with Jason Stalman, Mike Laubach & Kyle Williams		 Nominated
Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture
Shared with Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable & Brad Schiff		 Nominated
2017 Academy Awards[23] Best Animated Feature
Shared with Arianne Sutner		 Kubo and the Two Strings Nominated
Annie Awards[24] Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production Nominated
British Academy Film Awards[25] Best Animated Film Won
Chicago Film Critics Association[26] Most Promising Filmmaker Nominated
Producers Guild of America Award[27] Best Animated Motion Picture
Shared with Arianne Sutner		 Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards[28] Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Shared with Steve Emerson, Brad Schiff and Arianne Sutner		 Won
2020 Academy Awards[29] Best Animated Feature
Shared with Arianne Sutner and Chris Butler		 Missing Link Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[30] Best Animated Feature Film
Shared with Arianne Sutner and Chris Butler		 Won

References

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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b c McNichol, Tom. 2009. "Hollywood Knights," Portland Monthly, February. Archived January 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Accessed: May 24, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  6. ^ Ryan Ball, "Coraline Animator Travis Knight of LAIKA," Animation Magazine, May 7, 2007 Accessed: August 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Laika, "Travis Knight, President & CEO". Accessed: May 24, 2012.
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  18. ^ Laika Teams With 'Ozark' Creator Bill Dubuque for 'The Night Gardener'
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