[2] Shortly after DreamWorks merged with PDI the following year, he was assigned to direct his first feature film, Antz, co-directing alongside fellow PDI-turned-DreamWorks employee Tim Johnson.
Darnell also co-directed Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted with McGrath and Conrad Vernon, which was released on June 8, 2012.
[9] Darnell also wrote and directed an animated VR short film, Crow: The Legend, inspired by the Lenape myth.
Released in 2018, it features the voices of John Legend, Constance Wu, Oprah Winfrey, Diego Luna and Liza Koshy.
[10] Darnell lives in Campbell, California with his wife, Laura, and their son, Rex, and daughter, Leah.