Cal Brunker

Actor, Producer, Director

Cal Brunker (birthname: Callan Michael “Cal” Brunker) is a veteran Canadian-born animator and animation director/writer/producer who has partnered with writer-producer Bob Barlen since 2013. Brunker’s feature debut was as a clean-up artist in the live-action/animated Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), under co-directors Joe Dante (live-action) and Eric Goldberg (animation).

From 2008 to 2012, Brunker was a storyboard artist on Blue Sky Studio/20^th Century Fox Animation’s Horton Hears a Who! and (2008) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), as well as the Tim Burton-produced 9 (2009), directors Chris Renaud’s and Pierre Coffin’s hit Despicable Me (2010), and Blue Sky/20^th Century Fox Animation’s Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), under co-directors Steve Martino and Michael Thurmeier.

Cal Brunker’s first feature as director and co-writer (with Barlen) was the animated sci-fi comedy, Escape from Planet Earth (2013), with the voice cast of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Craig Robinson, William Shatner, George Lopez, Sofia Vergara, and Rob Corddry, and grossing $74.6 million globally. Brunker continued as a storyboard artist on the Despicable Me sequel, Minions (2015), and then on the only feature from Gramercy Pictures’ short-lived animation division, Ratchet & Clank (2016), followed by Brunker reuniting with director Renaud for Illumination Entertainment’s animated The Secret Life of Pets (2016).

Cal Brunker has been a co-writer (and sometimes also executive producer) with Bob Barlen on a string of features including the Belgian-French animated co-production from co-directors Ben Stassen and Jeremy Degruson, The Son of Bigfoot (2017) and the Stassen/Degruson co-directed sequel, Bigfoot Family (2020); the poorly-received Arctic Dogs (2019), directed by co-writer Aaron Woodley; and the Mexico/U.S./U.K./Canada co-production directed by Leopoldo Aguilar, Cranston Academy: Monster Zone (2020).

Brunker was director/co-writer of the U.S./Canada/South Korea animated co-production, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (2017), with the voice cast starring Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph, Jackie Chan, and Katherine Heigl, grossing $68.7 million globally. Brunker was director/co-writer of the Canadian-produced PAW Patrol series features, based on the TV series; first, PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021), with the voices of Will Brisbin, Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Ron Pardo, Yara Shahidi, and Kim Kardashian, and grossing over $144 million for Nickelodeon/Paramount Pictures; and then PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (2023), starring the voices of Mckenna Grace, Martin, Taraji P. Henson, Christian Convery, Kardashian, and Pardo, and released outside of Canada by Nickelodeon/Paramount Pictures.

Brunker was director/co-writer of PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie (2026), co-written by Bob Barlen, starring the voices of Carter Young, Hayden Chamberlain, Grace, Terry Crews, Ron Pardo, Jennifer Hudson, and Bill Nye, and which was distributed in wide release by Paramount Pictures worldwide except in Canada, where Elevation Pictures distributed it. Cal Brunker was co-writer of the animated feature, Doctor Dolittle: King of the Wild (date to be announced), directed by Timothy Reckart, co-written by Bob Barlen, and produced by Saxton Washburn via Reel FX Animation/Sycamore Studios.

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Movies

Cal Brunker Photos and Videos

PAW Patrol: The Movie (2021) | Trailer | Paramount Pictures

CAL BRUNKER, DIRECTOR OF "PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE"

Director Cal Brunker: "Sofía Vergara is Amazing!" (Escape From Planet Earth Premiere)

Known For

PAW Patrol: The Movie

(2021)

Escape from Planet Earth

(2012)

Son of Bigfoot

(2017)

Bigfoot Family

(2020)

Cal Brunker Movies

Director

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Previous (5)

2026 |
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
2026
Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
The Paw Patrol lands on a mysterious dinosaur island after a storm, where they meet Rex, a stranded pup. When Humdinger's reckless mining triggers a volcano, the team faces their biggest rescue mission yet to save the island.
More Info Watch Now
2023 |
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
2023
Animation, Action, Adventure
A magical meteor falls in Adventure City and gives the PAW Patrol superpowers, transforming them into the Mighty Pups. But they face their most powerful challenge when Humdinger teams up with a mad scientist to steal their powers.
More Info Watch Now
2021 |
PAW Patrol: The Movie
PAW Patrol: The Movie
2021
Animation, Action, Adventure
Ryder and the PAW Patrol pups are called to Adventure City in order to stop the recently-elected Mayor Humdinger from wreaking havoc.
More Info Watch Now
2017 |
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature
2017
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A group of squirrels try to stop a mayor from destroying the park where they live to make way for a dysfunctional amusement park.
More Info Watch Now
2013 |
Escape from Planet Earth
Escape from Planet Earth
2013
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet, Earth.
More Info Watch Now

Writer

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Previous (6)

2026 |
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
2026
Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
The Paw Patrol lands on a mysterious dinosaur island after a storm, where they meet Rex, a stranded pup. When Humdinger's reckless mining triggers a volcano, the team faces their biggest rescue mission yet to save the island.
More Info Watch Now
2023 |
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
2023
Animation, Action, Adventure
A magical meteor falls in Adventure City and gives the PAW Patrol superpowers, transforming them into the Mighty Pups. But they face their most powerful challenge when Humdinger teams up with a mad scientist to steal their powers.
More Info Watch Now
2019 |
Arctic Dogs
Arctic Dogs
2019
Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family
An Arctic fox works in the mailroom of a package delivery service, but wants to be doing the deliveries.
More Info Watch Now
2018 |
Son of Bigfoot
Son of Bigfoot
2018
Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
A young teenage boy sets out to find his missing father, only to discover that he's actually the mythical creature known as Bigfoot.
More Info Watch Now
2017 |
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature
2017
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A group of squirrels try to stop a mayor from destroying the park where they live to make way for a dysfunctional amusement park.
More Info Watch Now
2013 |
Escape from Planet Earth
Escape from Planet Earth
2013
Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet, Earth.
More Info Watch Now