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Dean DeBlois

Dean DeBlois

Writer, director, producer and actor · Born June 7, 1970 (56) · Brockville, Ontario, Canada

Oscar nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Dean Allan DeBlois (/dəˈblwɑː/ də-BLWAH; born June 7, 1970) is a Canadian filmmaker and writer. He is best known for writing and directing the Oscar-nominated animated feature films Lilo & Stitch for Walt Disney Animation Studios (with Chris Sanders), the How to Train Your Dragon film trilogy for DreamWorks Animation (the first film also with Sanders), and directing the documentary Heima about the Icelandic band Sigur Rós.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 7, 1970 (56)
From
Brockville, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Writer, director, producer and actor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 12% in 30 days

What are Dean DeBlois' films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Animation10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 95th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 83rd percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
51%
Self
20%
Ideas
8%
Society
8%
Morality
6%
Power
4%
Survival
3%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 4 · Charged 9 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 8 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Warm
7
Hopeful
6
Thrilling
6
Melancholic
5
Other
12

How their films linger

Feel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Dean DeBlois' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dean DeBlois' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

26 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • How to Train Your Dragon(2025)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Viking (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Lilo & Stitch(2025)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Robot(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Nimona(2023)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Ten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director · Cinematographer

  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World(2019)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Other Side of the Wind(2018)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Konbini Vidéo Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Boss Baby(2017)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Where No One Goes: The Making of How to Train Your Dragon 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Executive Producer · as Himself

  • How to Train Your Dragon 2(2014)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury(2011)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Jónsi: Go Quiet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Camera Operator

  • How to Train Your Dragon(2010)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Heima (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Leroy & Stitch(2006)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Origin of Stitch(2005)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch(2005)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Story Room: The Making of 'Lilo & Stitch' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · as Self

  • Lilo & Stitch: The Series(2003)

    Show 67 episodes · Characters · Creator

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • Stitch! The Movie(2003)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Lilo & Stitch(2002)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Atlantis: The Lost Empire(2001)

    Story Artist

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Mulan(1998)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Robot Escapes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 25 titles, 23 of them dated from 2001 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

$1B worldwide

Highest rated

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

The Wild Robot (2024)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 25: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting10 of 25: 2 only directing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score97thWriting13 of 25: 6 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score75thProducing9 of 25: 5 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score96thCinematography1 of 25: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew4 of 25: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

25 titles, 9 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

2000s9 · crew2010s9 · 1 acting · 8 crew2020s5 · 1 acting · 5 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

1 major award from 7 major nominations, 2010–2020.

WinNomination
  1. 2020
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film
  2. 2015
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
  3. 2014
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · BAFTA Kids Vote - Feature Film
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Feature Film
  4. 2011
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Animated Feature
  5. 2010
    • Venice award, won · Most Creative 3D Film Stereoscopic Film of the Year

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Dean DeBlois' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 92nd percentile, the median of all 17; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 91st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 18 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · writer

The Origin of Stitch (2005)

64th percentile spread · 17% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 60/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Dean DeBlois' work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles28–38 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles8–30 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles4–33 · median 7 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles3–16 · median 5 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles31–46 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Dean DeBlois work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dean DeBlois' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chris Sanders shares the most, 11.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles