Raman Hui

Raman Hui
Hui in 2008
Born	Raman Hui Shing-Ngai[1] 1963 (age 52–53) Hong Kong
Residence	Sunset District, San Francisco[2]
Occupation	Computer animator, film director
Notable work	Shrek the Third, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five, Scared Shrekless

Raman Hui Shing-Ngai (Traditional Chinese: 許誠毅, born 1963) is a Hong Kong animator and film director best known for co-directing Shrek the Third,^[3] and (co)directing several short films, including Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five, Scared Shrekless and Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos.

Early life

Hui was born in Hong Kong, and grew up in a single parent family, with his mother raising him and two other siblings.^[4] Liking to draw since he could remember,^[2] he went to Hong Kong Polytechnic University where he graduated in 1984 in graphic design.^[1]

Career

After the graduation, he worked as a cel animator at Quantum Studios in Hong Kong.^[5] In 1989, he moved to Canada to attend a three-month course at Sheridan College to improve his knowledge in computer animation.^[4][5] For a while he was creating hand-drawn animated productions for TV commercials in Toronto.^[5] In 1989, Hui started working as a junior animator at Pacific Data Images, which was later acquired by DreamWorks Animation.^[4][5] There, he worked on various commercials and short films. Among other work, he directed two short films, Sleepy Guy (1995), and Fat Cat on a Diet (2000).^[6] He was the supervising animator and lead character designer on PDI's first feature film, Antz, released in 1998. From there he went on to serve as supervising animator for Shrek and Shrek 2.^[6][7] In 2004, he spent half a year in Hong Kong where he directed animation for the DreamWorks Animation's televisions series Father of the Pride, which was subcontracted to a Hong Kong company.^[2] In 2007, he co-directed his first feature film, Shrek the Third. He also directed three short films, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five, Scared Shrekless and Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos.

Hui illustrated several children story books in collaboration with Kiehl's to raise funds for various Hong Kong organizations.^[8] His first book, Brownie and Sesame was released in 2004,^[2] followed by Piccolo in 2005^[9] and Grandma Long Ears in 2006.^[10]

Due to his contributions to the Shrek films, Forbes listed Hui in 2010 among 25 notable Chinese-Americans in the business field.^[11][12]

Hui said of himself that he is a "Hong Konger living in America," being "sandwiched between Western and Chinese cultures."^[4] After arriving to the United States, beside learning a new language, Hui had most troubles adapting to a different lifestyle: "Hong Kong is a busy place. But the place I lived, Silicon Valley, was so quiet that if you see someone walking down the street at night, you should feel worried."^[4] Although, he prefers living in Hong Kong, Hui prefers working in the United States: "They make sure you have enough time to do your job well. I feel attached to that country because it is where I learned all my skills."^[4]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	Muppet*Vision 3D		animator short film
1994	Angels in the Outfield		animation director
	Sleepy Guy		director short film
1995	Batman Forever		animation supervisor: Pacific Data Images
1996	The Arrival		animation director: Pacific Data Images
1998	Antz		character designer/supervising animator
2000	Fat Cat on a Diet		director/animator short film
2001	Shrek		character designer/supervising animator
2003	Shrek 4-D		supervising animator
	Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas	Jin
2004	Shrek 2		additional story artist/supervising animator
2005	Madagascar		additional animator
2007	Shrek the Third		co-director
2008	Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five		director short film
2010	Shrek Forever After		additional story artist
	Donkey's Caroling Christmas-tacular		story artist short film
2011	Puss in Boots		additional story artist
2012	Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos		director short film
2015	Monster Hunt		director

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1991	The Last Halloween		character animator TV special
1995	The Simpsons		animator Episode: "Treehouse of Horror VI"
2004-2005	Father of the Pride		animation director
2007	Shrek the Halls		animator TV special
2009	Merry Madagascar		story artist/animator TV special
2010	Scared Shrekless		co-director TV special
2012	How to Train Your Dragon		animation director TV series

References

1. "Winners of Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award announced". The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 9 March 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
2. "24 Hours with Raman Hui". South China Morning Post. 31 October 2004. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
3. Gabrenya, Frank (18 May 2007). "Mediogre fare". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
4. Chau, Victor (12 January 2006). "Cartoonist, Raman Hui". HK Magazine. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
5. Tracy, Joe (2001). "dFX Interview: Raman Hui". Digital Media FX. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
6. "Raman Hui". X Media lab. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
7. Seiler, Andy (18 May 2001). "'Shrek' treks through fairyland". USA Today. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
8. Hui, Jessie (27 November 2006). "Hollywood animator lends a hand for charity". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
9. Kiehl's (20 November 2006). "Kiehl’s In Collaboration With Raman Hui To Create His Third Charity Story Book For Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation" (PDF). About Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
10. Sun, Andrew (29 November 2006). "Author animated about new tale". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
11. Flannery, Russel (30 July 2010). "Marvell Technology's Mobile Connector". Forbes. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
12. Hong Kong Polytechnic University (18 August 2010). "Two PolyU Alumni Named Among "25 Top Chinese-Americans in Business" by Forbes". PRWeb. Retrieved 8 December 2013.

External links

• Raman Hui at the Internet Movie Database