Januel Mercado

Known for: Directing
Born: November 23, 1984
Birthplace: Stockton, California, USA

Januel Patricio Mercado (born November 23, 1984) is a Filipino-American feature animation director, storyboard artist, and writer. A San Jose State University graduate, he has been with DreamWorks Animation since 2008. He started as a story artist on Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) and contributed to Turbo (2013), Penguins of Madagascar (2014), and Trolls (2016). Mercado made his co-directorial debut on Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) alongside Joel Crawford, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA.

Filmography

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Forgotten Island 2026
as Manny Molina (Raissa's Dad) / Dry Mermahn (voice), Writer, Director
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 2023
Thanks
The Trident 2023
Executive Producer
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 2022
as Band Member / Baker's Dozen Gang Member (voice), Co-Director
Dear Diary: World's First Pranks 2021
Director, Story
The Croods: A New Age 2020
as Shaman Monkey (voice), Head of Story
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part 2019
Additional Storyboarding
The Lego Ninjago Movie 2017
Story Artist
Kung Fu Panda 2 2011
Story Artist

Credits from TMDB.