Anthony Leondis (born March 24, 1972) is a Greek–American[2] former animator, filmmaker, and voice actor, known for directing The Emoji Movie, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, Igor, and the unreleased DreamWorks Animation film B.O.O.
Tony Leondis was at CalArts for a time, and had the opportunity to enter the industry thanks to his then professor Brenda Chapman, who offered him an internship to work on one of her films, The Prince of Egypt.
[3] Leondis started his career as a story artist working on films such as The Prince of Egypt and The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
Leondis originally pitched the film as a school story called BOO U,[5] but during development over the next few years, the plot would be drastically changed.
Leondis went on to direct the Kung Fu Panda short Secrets of the Masters.
[11] According to a producer named Tripp Vinson, Leondis stated that several studios thought that Emoji Movie had the potential to become a multi-film franchise.
[16] He won two Razzie Awards for Worst Director and Worst Screenplay, the latter shared with Eric Siegel and Mike White, making Leondis the first animation director in motion picture history to win those categories.