Carlos Saldanha
Carlos Saldanha is a Brazilian animator and filmmaker, born on July 20, 1968, in Rio de Janeiro. He initially pursued a career in computer science before shifting his focus to animation, studying computer animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Saldanha is best known for co-directing the highly successful "Ice Age" franchise, which includes multiple sequels that garnered both critical acclaim and impressive box office earnings. He also directed the animated films "Rio" and its sequel, "Rio 2," which celebrated the culture and beauty of his hometown while appealing to a global audience.
Throughout his career, Saldanha has emphasized the importance of storytelling and emotional resonance in animation, often striving to enhance these elements through technological advancements in CGI. He has also taken on roles beyond directing, including voice acting and producing. In addition to his animated work, Saldanha has ventured into live-action projects, such as the Netflix series "Invisible City." He resides in the United States with his family, maintaining strong ties to Brazil, which he believes is essential for his children's cultural education. Saldanha's contributions to animation have made a significant impact on the industry, showcasing diverse narratives and engaging audiences worldwide.
Subject Terms
Carlos Saldanha
Director
- Born: July 20, 1968
- Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Contribution: Carlos Saldanha is a director best known for his animated films Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Rio (2011), and Ferdinand (2017).
Background
Carlos Saldanha was born on July 20, 1968, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a child, he loved animation and cartoons. He frequently drew his own cartoons and considered a career in animation, but he initially decided to pursue computer science instead. During this time, the personal computer was gaining popularity, and Saldanha thought computers would be a more worthwhile career choice.
Although Saldanha enjoyed his work in computer science, he maintained a passion for animation and the arts. He became interested in computer-generated imaging (CGI), which combined his fondness for computer technology with his love for animation, and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City to study computer animation. While he was there, an instructor encouraged him to sign up for a two-year master of fine arts program. Saldanha graduated from the program in 1993.
During his school years, Saldanha completed two animated short films that won prizes and were screened at several film festivals. One of his instructors at SVA was Chris Wedge, who later asked him to join his computer-animation film studio Blue Sky Studios.
Career
At Blue Sky Studios, Wedge, Saldanha, and the rest of the team spent their early years creating computer-generated special effects for television commercials. In 1995, Toy Story, the first full-length film created entirely with CGI, was released, and its success opened the door for other full-length CGI films.
Seven years later, Saldanha and Wedge released their own CGI film, Ice Age, about a group of prehistoric animals that discover a human baby. The pair codirected the film, which opened on March 15, 2002. The film was well received by critics and performed well at the box office, earning over $46 million in its first weekend. Ice Age was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2003. Saldanha and Wedge’s next project was Robots (2005), a CGI feature about a robot at odds with a corrupt corporation. Although the film received mixed reviews, it was nominated for several animation-related awards.
For his first solo credit, Saldanha directed the Ice Age sequel Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006). His goal for the sequel was to make a heartfelt film while pushing the limits of CGI technology. Saldanha and the Blue Sky Studios animation team worked to create more realistic characters than ever before. The film received mixed reviews but managed to best the first film’s opening weekend, taking in over $68 million. It went on to gross over $655 million worldwide.
The third installment in the Ice Age franchise, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), was also directed by Saldanha, along with codirector Michael Thurmeier. In order to inject new life into the series, the Blue Sky Studios team added dinosaur characters and included more action sequences. Like its predecessor, the film was given mixed reviews by critics but performed well at the box office, earning over $886 million worldwide. The fourth film in the series, Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), was the first of the series not directed or codirected by Saldanha. He did, however, serve as an executive producer for it, as well as Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade and Ice Age: Collision Course, both released in 2016.
After spending seven years on the Ice Age franchise, Saldanha felt he was ready to move on. For his next directing project, he revisited a film idea he had begun developing during the production of Robots. He wanted to set the film in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro because he felt that the city had not been accurately depicted on film before. The animators used maps and other geographic resources to create a digital version of Rio.
The resulting film was Rio (2011), about two macaw birds escaping from an evil smuggler. Critics gave the film mainly positive reviews, and Rio grossed over $484 million worldwide. Saldanha was satisfied that he and his team had captured the spirit and atmosphere of Rio de Janeiro in an animated film. The film was nominated for several awards, including seven Annie Awards and an Academy Award for best original song, and won the 2012 Annie Award for best character animation. Saldanha went on to cowrite and direct a sequel, Rio II (2014), which follows the same macaws as they try to make a new home in the Amazon. In addition to directing, he voiced several characters in his Ice Age and Rio films. Unlike its predecessor, however, Rio 2 received a mixed reception from critics, though it earned $498.8 million worldwide.
He next turned his attention to adapting the classic children's book The Story of Ferdinand into the talking-animal animation Ferdinand (2017), a comedy about a pacifist bull. Critics praised Ferdinand for its faithfulness to its source material, its humor, and its thematic content, and it fared well at the box office, making nearly triple its production budget. It too was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and two Golden Globes.
In 2018 Saldanha agreed to remake an adaptation of the classic children's novel The Phantom Tollbooth. The following year he became the showrunner for Invisible City, a Netflix Original supernatural thriller set in Rio and his first live-action piece. The series was set to air in 2020.
Impact
Saldanha helped develop and direct the Ice Age films, one of the most successful animated film franchises of all time. This success allowed him to create and direct Rio and Rio 2, through which he was able to expose a worldwide audience to the beauty and culture of his native city. Though he appreciates the advances made in animation technology, Saldanha has said that he wants the focus of his movies to remain on the message and the emotions of the story, and the technology should primarily be used to enhance those aspects.
Personal Life
Saldanha married Isabella Scarpa, a mathematician, with whom he had four children. They live in the United States. The family visits Brazil regularly, as Saldanha and his wife believe that travel is important for expanding their children’s views of the world.
Principal Works
Film
Ice Age, 2002
Robots, 2005
Ice Age: The Meltdown, 2006
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, 2009
Rio, 2011
Rio 2, 2014
Ferdinand, 2017
Bibliography
Baldassari, Arlene Phalon. “The Road from Rio.” Hudson Reporter. Hudson Reporter, 30 Dec. 2012. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.
Dunlop, Renee. “Carlos Saldanha, Director of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown.” CGSociety. CGSociety, 10 Apr. 2006. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.
Saldanha, Carlos. “An Exclusive Interview with Rio Director Carlos Saldanha.” Interview by Edward Douglas. ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline Media, 14 Apr. 2011. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.
Saldanha, Carlos. “The Interview: Ice Age Director Carlos Saldanha.” Interview by Michael Cavna. Comic Riffs. Washington Post, 1 July 2009. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.
Saldanha, Carlos. “Rio—Carlos Saldanha Interview.” Interview by Rob Carnevale. Indie London. IndieLondon.co.uk, n.d. Web. 5 Sept. 2013.