Thor Freudenthal

Biography

Thor Freudenthal is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, and visual-effects artist, born on October 20, 1972, in West Berlin, Germany. He developed an early interest in storytelling and filmmaking before studying at the Berlin Academy of Arts and later attending the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

Freudenthal began his career in animation and visual effects, contributing to major animated productions including The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ice Age, Shrek 2, Madagascar, Open Season, and Surf's Up. He also worked on projects such as Stuart Little and The ChubbChubbs! in creative, visual-effects, storyboard, and character-design roles.

He moved into live-action filmmaking with the short film Motel in 2005. His first major feature as a director was Hotel for Dogs (2009), followed by Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010), which brought Jeff Kinney's popular book series to the big screen. He subsequently directed Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013) and the drama Words on Bathroom Walls (2020), on which he also served as a producer.

Freudenthal has also built an extensive television career, directing episodes of shows such as Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, The Expanse, The Tick, Carnival Row, La Brea, Quantum Leap, The Bondsman, and The Hunting Party.

His work spans family entertainment, fantasy, science fiction, drama, and action. His combination of animation experience and live-action filmmaking has allowed him to work across both feature films and large-scale television productions.