Former Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) student from Co Louth Fergal Reilly is to co-direct the latest big budget animated feature from Columbia/Sony Pictures.
Now based in Los Angelus, Reilly is to co-direct the computer generated film adaptation of the children’s book The Familiars with ex-Pixar animator Doug Sweetland.
The project will be produced by Sam Raimi and Josh Donen through their Stars Road banner at Sony/Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation.
Reilly joined Sony Pictures new animation division in 2003 and has worked there as a director and Head of Story helping develop projects for its family entertainment slate since.
His talents were first spotted by Disney while still a graphic design student when he was chosen to be an animation apprentice at their feature animation studio facility in California. After completing his studies at IADT he moved back to Hollywood in the 1990s to work as a story artist.
From there he went on to become a storyboard artist on some of the biggest and most critically acclaimed live-action and animated movies of the past 15 years working for Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Brothers and Sony/Columbia Pictures with such directors as Sam Raimi, Jon Favreau, Brad Bird and the Farrelly brothers.
His credits include The Iron Giant, Spiderman 2, Stuart Little, Walt Disney’s The Haunted Mansion, The Longest Yard, The Heffalump Movie, Open Season The Smurfs and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs.
Reilly has also taught advanced story development at the internationally renowned California Institute of the Arts and lectured at The Rhode Island School of Art and Design and Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida.
The film adaptation of the children’s book The Familiars with Doug Sweetland is due for release in spring 2014.
Image: A still from Spiderman 2, which Fergal Reilly has worked on
