Eric Darnell
Chief Creative Director Baobab Studios
Eric Darnell is Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of Baobab Studios, the world's leading independent interactive animation studio, Baobab Studios. Baobab’s mission: Inspire you to dream by bringing out your sense of wonder. Make YOU matter. Under Eric’s leadership, Baobab Studios has won 6 Emmys (3 Best Interactive Emmys), 2 Annie’s (first-ever Annie Award for Best VR Production), and first ever SIGGRAPH Immersive Best in Show Award. His interactive animation has achieved over 25 million views. Baobab has released Invasion!, Asteroids!, Jack, Crow: The Legend, and Bonfire to commercial and critical acclaim. Baobab’s latest VR piece, Baba Yaga, made its world premiere at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.
Eric's career spans 25 years as a computer animation director, screenwriter, story artist, film director and executive producer. He is the second highest box office grossing writer and director of animated feature films. Darnell was a director and screenwriter on all four films in the Madagascar franchise, which together have grossed nearly $3 billion at the box office. He was also executive producer on The Penguins of Madagascar. Previously, Eric directed DreamWorks Animation's very first animated feature film, Antz, which features the voices of Woody Allen, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, and Sharon Stone. Eric earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Colorado and a master's degree in experimental animation from The California Institute of the Arts.