DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - Jean-Philippe Vine

NATHAN ENGELHARDT (Director/Writer) makes his directorial debut on “Forevergreen” following an 18 year career in animation. During his 14 years at Walt Disney Animation Studios, he has served as animation supervisor on such films as “Big Hero 6” and “Zootopia,” and contributed animation to such popular films as “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Moana,” “Frozen II,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Encanto,” and “Wish.” His non-Disney animation credits include “Horton Hears a Who,” "Ice Age 3," “Rio,” among others. Engelhardt grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and developed an early interest in animation through his love of stop-motion films, and through the point-and-click adventure video game, “The Neverhood.” He experimented with making his own stop-motion films with a home video camera, and went on to study animation at SCAD in Savannah. He launched his professional career in animation with a role at Blue Sky Studios. Engelhardt and his wife, Julie, have four children and live in the Los Angeles area. JEREMY SPEARS (Director/Writer/Production Designer) brings his expert skills as a writer, production designer and woodcarver to his new role as director on “Forevergreen.” An Annie Award winner for his work on the 2011 Disney animated feature, “Winnie the Pooh,” Spears has been helping to create memorable stories for Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2007. During his nearly 18 years with the Studio, he has contributed to such animated favorites as “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Zootopia,” “Moana,” “Encanto,” “Wish” and “Frozen.” After graduating from California State University, Long Beach with a BFA, he launched his professional career with a 4-month internship at Pixar Animation Studios, before joining the story team at Disney. Spears and his wife have four children, and reside on the Central Coast of California. In his free time, he enjoys illustrating, designing, and hand-crafting an assortment of original wooden creations (dinosaurs, bears and tiki objects) for his Whittle Woodshop. He also occasionally does story work and woodcarving on exciting projects and attractions with his friends at Walt Disney Imagineering (i.e. Trader Sam’s at Disneyland).