Travis Knight
Birthdate: Sep 13, 1973
Birthplace: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Travis Knight (birthname: Travis Andrew Knight) made the rare artistic transition from rap artist (known as Chilly Tee) to three-time Oscar-nominated animator via his internship with animator Will Vinton (whose studio became partly owned by Knight’s father, Nike co-founder Phil Knight), which evolved into the animation studio Laika. Knight then transitioned from being a member of the board of Will Vinton Studios to Laika’s animation v.p. and then lead animator on director/writer/producer Henry Selick’s stop motion animated fantasy, Coraline (2009), with the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Ian McShane, produced by Laika/Pandemonium Films, and which grossed a strong $188 million globally (based on estimated costs) for Focus Features (U.S.)/Universal Pictures (International) after earning a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination.
Knight continued as lead animator and was a lead producer for co-directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler’s Laika-produced stop motion horror comedy, ParaNorman (2012), written by Butler, and voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill and John Goodman, and earning an Oscar Best Animation nomination and $107 million in theatrical grosses for Focus Features (North America)/Universal Pictures (International). Knight was again producer/lead animator of another Laika stop motion fantasy, The Boxtrolls (2014), co-directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, co-starring the voices of Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan and Simon Pegg, and which premiered at the Venice Film Festival before landing an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature and grossing $108 million for Focus Features (North America)/Universal Pictures (International).
Travis Knight made his feature directorial debut of Laika’s stop motion fantasy, Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), produced by Knight (with co-lead producer Arianne Sutner), written by Marc Haimes, Chris Butler and Shannon Tindle, starring the voice cast of Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei and Matthew McConaughey, and delivering a $77.5 million for Focus Features (North America)/Universal Pictures (International). Knight directed his first live-action movie and first non-Laika project with the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee (2018), starring Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, and Pamela Adlon, produced (in part) by Michael Bay and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and returning a solid $468 million gross (based on estimated costs) for Paramount Pictures.
Knight was a lead producer with Arianne Sutner on director/writer Chris Butler’s Laika-backed stop motion animated comedy, Missing Link (2019), featuring voice actors Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, David Walliams, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, Amrita Acharia and Zach Galifianakis, and despite an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature and excellent reviews, failed at the box office (based on estimated costs) with $26.6 million for United Artists Releasing. Knight directed his second live-action movie, the remake of Mattel Studios’ Masters of the Universe (2026), co-written by Knight’s frequent collaborator Chris Butler, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto and Idris Elba, and which was released wide by Amazon MGM Studios (U.S.) (which also co-produced) and Sony Pictures Releasing (International).
Travis Knight returned to his stop motion animation roots as director of Laika’s dark fantasy based on Colin Meloy’s and Carson Ellis’s 2011 novel, Wildwood (2026), adapted by Chris Butler, featuring a large voice cast including Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Richard E. Grant, Awkwafina, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, Charlie Day, Blythe Danner, Jake Johnson, Tantoo Cardinal, Len Carious, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Angela Bassett and Mahershala Ali, and released by Fathom Entertainment.
Travis Knight Photos and Videos
Personal life
Travis Knight was born and raised in the Portland, Oregon suburb of Hillsboro by his parents, Phil (co-founder and CEO of Nike) and Penelope. Knight had one brother, Matthew, who died in 2004 in a scuba diving accident in El Salvador. Knight attended and graduated from Jesuit High School and then graduated from Portland State University. Knight is married to Maryse Knight, living with their family in Oregon. Knight’s height is 5’ 11”. Knight is the only living heir of Phil Knight’s estimated fortune of is $33 billion.
Travis Knight Movies
actor
Upcoming (1)
director
Upcoming (1)
- 2026 |
Masters of the Universe
A young man on Earth discovers a fabulous secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet, and must recover a magic sword and return home to protect his kingdom.
Previous (2)
- 2018 |
- 2016 |
Kubo and the Two Strings
A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.
producer
Previous (3)
- 2019 |
Missing Link
Mr. Link recruits explorer Sir Lionel Frost to help find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, this trio of explorers travel the world to help their new friend.
- 2014 |
The Boxtrolls
A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator.
- 2012 |
ParaNorman
A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.
Facts About Travis Knight
Failed Rapper: Travis Knight attempted a career as a rap artist, under the moniker “Chilly Tee,” but released only one record that didn’t sell, and later reflected “I liked making music, but I hated the performing part of it. I think there’s a reason most animators are hidden behind giant curtains. They’re not meant for the spotlight.”
Heir to Be: Knight, being the only living heir of the $33 billion fortune of Phil Knight, is potentially destined to become the world’s wealthiest filmmaker.
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