Jeff Fowler

Career

Fowler decided to become a computer animator during high school in the 1990s, inspired by the film Toy Story. He studied computer animation at the Ringling College of Art and Design, where his thesis short Monkey's Pit caught the attention of Blur Studio co-founder Tim Miller. After graduating in 2002, Fowler joined Blur. He worked as an animator on the 2003 short Rockfish and the 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are. In 2004 he wrote, directed, storyboarded, did art layout, and animated Gopher Broke, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film. He also wrote and animated A Gentleman's Duel and contributed CGI movie production for the 2005 video game Shadow the Hedgehog. Fowler later directed Sonic the Hedgehog, originally set for November 2019 but delayed to February 14, 2020 after widespread criticism of Sonic's design; a revised design revealed in November 2019 received far more positive responses. He directed the sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2, released April 8, 2022, and is set to direct a reboot of The Pink Panther. He directed the pilot and executive-produced the TV series Knuckles, and directed Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released December 2024 to positive reviews. Fowler will return as director for the fourth Sonic film, scheduled for March 19, 2027; filming began on March 2, 2026.