Female Filmmaker Friday: Jill Culton, Writer and Director of the New DreamWorks Animated Film "Abominable"

The director and writer behind DreamWorks Animations new film is director, writer, and animator Jill Culton.

Culton studied character animation at the California Institute of the Arts. She became a storyboard artist for such films as Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and A Bug’s Life for Pixar. She was the co-writer on the original treatment for Monsters Inc.

Her directorial debut came on Sony’s first animated film Open Season in 2006. With this film, Culton became the first woman principal director on a big-budget animated feature film.

Now comes the release of Abominable. The story of a yeti (Everest) captured by a team of scientists and escapes to Shanghai and meets a young girl, Yi, who also wishes to escape--her own family. Yi vows to help him find his way home. 

"By taking Everest all the way back to his home and family, [Yi] ends up fixing her own home and her own family."

The story is a great ride and an important story of doing the impossible. It also has a strong sense of home and family, and being proud of where we come from, but not being afraid to step out and see the world.

Abominable is in theaters now.