Mike Cozens

Animation Supervisor, Weta Digital

Mike Cozens came to Weta Digital in 2006 after working as a Lead Animator on 300 at Hybride near Montreal. His first project at Weta was The Water Horse – Legend of the Deep, on which he worked closely with Joe Letteri.

As an Animation Supervisor, Mike Cozens strives to realise the directors’ storytelling vision of digital characters and creatures. His team uses a wide variety of techniques to create fresh, believable creatures.

He spent three years as Lead Animator on multiple sequences on James Cameron's Avatar. As well as developing the fight choreography of the climactic Quaritch/Amp Suit battle, he developed motion cycles and behaviours for the ground animals. He also supervised the animation on the Avatar Extended Edition DVD

Mike grew up in Vancouver. His father went to Art Center in Los Angeles in the 60's and was a good friend of Marv Newland, a well-known Canadian animator. When Mike was a child, his father would take him to animation festivals to see Marv's films. This was a big inspiration. He went on to study classical animation in 1999 and completed a CG short called Broker in 2000, which played on the festival circuit and was nominated for several awards.

After film school Mike went to Montreal and worked for 6 years on the Spy Kids franchise, Sin City and 300.

Mike recently completed work on Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. He is currently working on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and is also the Animation Supervisor on an undisclosed project.

Selected Credits

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY — Senior Animator
(In production) Director: Peter Jackson (Warner Brothers)

PROMETHEUS – Animation Supervisor
(2012) Director: Ridley Scott (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Animation Supervisor
(2011) Director: Rupert Wyatt (20th Century Fox)

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS – Animation Supervisor
(2011) Director: Matthew Vaughn (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS – Animation Supervisor
(2010) Director: Rob Letterman (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

AVATAR – Lead Animator
(2009) Director: James Cameron (20th Century Fox)

THE LOVELY BONES – Previs Animator
(2009) Director: Peter Jackson (WingNut Films)

THE WATER HORSE – LEGEND OF THE DEEP – Animator/Lead Animator
(2007) Director: Jay Russell (Walden Media)

300 – Lead Animator
(2007) Director: Zack Snyder (Warner Bros. Pictures)

SIN CITY - Lead Animator
(2005) Directors: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino (Troublemaker Studios)

SPY KIDS 3D: GAME OVER – Animator
(2003) Director: Robert Rodriguez (Troublemaker Studios)

SPY KIDS 2 - Animator
(2002) Director: Robert Rodriguez (Troublemaker