Sarah Smith is an English film director, broadcast producer, and screenwriter. She is the co-founder and former CEO of Locksmith Animation. She is writer and director of the animated feature films Arthur Christmas (2011) and Ron's Gone Wrong (2021). Smith began her career in radio before serving as a television producer for live action British comedy, including as writer for The Friday Night Armistice (1996-1998). She later served various other assisting production roles in television, and as writer for the adult animated series I Am Not an Animal (2004). She then joined Aardman Animations as creative director, going on to direct her first feature film Arthur Christmas. She left Aardman and set up Locksmith Animation to direct Ron's Gone Wrong.
Sarah Smith | |
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| Born | England |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1991-present |
Smith studied at the University of Oxford.[1] She began her career in radio comedy as a producer, for The Harpoon and Lee and Herring. She also took over for the long-running comedy panel game show Just a Minute from 1992 to 1995.[2] Smith had originally met the comedy duo Lee and Herring and to offer to produce a radio series. Their submission, Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World, was initially was rejected for commissioning. However, Smith threatened to quit if the series was not accepted, an action Lee described as "heroic". The idea was resubmitted and accepted, and would eventually be recreated as Fist of Fun.[3] She then moved to television as a producer for its television adaptation, along with The Jim Tavaré Pictures (1995),[2] and The Friday/Saturday Night Armistice (1995-1998) where she also served as writer from 1996 onwards.[2] In 1997, Smith discussed her work on the UK general election special of Armistice. She said there was an "enormous expansion of both news and comedy" in media in years prior, and said "They've collided during the election so that all news programmes now apparently must have some comedy. Next year, they're merging News and Entertainment".[4]
Meanwhile, she returned to radio to produce The League of Gentlemen, as well as the first series of its television adaptation that aired in 1999. Other television produced include Where's Elvis This Week? (1996); In the Red (1998); The Armando Ianucci Shows (2001); and Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (2001). Other credits include one episode of Bob and Margaret (1999) as writer; the controversial Brass Eye: Paedogeddon! (2001) special as script consultant; Nighty Night (2004) as writer; I Am Not an Animal (2004) as writer; Dead Man Weds (2005) as director; and Thin Ice (2006) as director.[2][5][4] I Am Not An Animal, an adult animated series, marked her move towards the medium.[6]
Smith was approached by Aardman Animations with a job offer to head their feature department; she had contacted Aardman in prior years with an interest in working on film scripts.[7][8] Smith said she initially felt uncertain about accepting the role because she only had production experience overseeing live action comedy and drama. She joined the studio in 2006 expecting she would leave after six months,[9][10] but stayed on believing she was there at an important time where she was able to pick up new projects, saying "[there was] an opportunity to take a whole fresh path and look at what they wanted to do as a company".[8] As creative director she was co-executive producer for The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012), where she secured rights to adapt it from the books it was based on. Smith would go on to direct her first feature film, Arthur Christmas, which was released in 2011.[5][11][12] In 2012, Smith expressed disappointment over Arthur Christmas not being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature when a film such as Puss in Boots did that year, remarking, "you've got to be kidding me".[13]
Smith co-founded the animation studio Locksmith in 2014 with Aardman executive Julie Lockhart, and with the financial backing of Elisabeth Murdoch.[14][15] She directed the studio's first film, Ron's Gone Wrong, which was released in 2021.[16] Smith left Locksmith in June 2021 and was replaced by Natalie Fischer as CEO.[17]
As director:
He made his way to Oxford University [and] met fellow enthusiasts Andrew Glover, Sarah Smith and David Schneider.