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Sam Liu

Sam Liu

Director and producer

Sam Liu is an American animation director and storyboard artist. He is best know for his directing on animated superhero films at both Marvel Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. Titles include All-Star Superman, Superman/Batman:Public Enemies, Hulk Vs, Planet Hulk, Thor: Son of Asgard and co-directing with Lauren Montgomery on Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Batman:Year One. After studying at Art Center College of Design as an Illustration major , Sam went into comic books drawing for Image Comics. He then moved to animation, directing on Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles and Godzilla: The Series for Sony Animation. He later went to Sony Computer Entertainment of America to design characters for PlayStation then came back to animation, winning an Emmy  for his work on The Batman (TV series) in 2006. Sam has since worked on many animated movies for Marvel Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation and is currently directing on the upcoming Green Lantern animated series with Bruce Timm.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director and producer
Titles
39 on MovieCove · 49 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 4% in 30 days

What are Sam Liu's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
38%
Self
21%
Bonds
16%
Power
11%
Society
7%
Survival
4%
Ideas
1%
Justice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 10 · Dark 10

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 0 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 11

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 18

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 5

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 13 · Relentless 8

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 5 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
17
Thrilling
20
Dread
8
Melancholic
10
Hopeful
8
Other
10

How their films linger

Hopeful14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

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 Sam Liu's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (11).

Subscription and free streaming for Sam Liu's 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

49 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page.

  • Get Jiro!(2026)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Creature Commandos(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Watchmen: Chapter II(2024)

    Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Watchmen: Chapter I(2024)

    Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham(2023)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Batman: Soul of the Dragon(2021)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Ted Lasso(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · as Michael

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Superman: Red Son(2020)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • DC Showcase: Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Producer

  • Wonder Woman: Bloodlines(2019)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Death and Return of Superman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Producer

  • Justice League vs. The Fatal Five(2019)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Reign of the Supermen(2019)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Death of Superman(2018)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay(2018)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Batman: Gotham by Gaslight(2018)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Batman and Harley Quinn(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Teen Titans: The Judas Contract(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Justice League Dark(2017)

    Storyboard Designer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders(2016)

    Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Batman: The Killing Joke(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Justice League vs. Teen Titans(2016)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Batman: Bad Blood(2016)

    Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Justice League: Gods and Monsters(2015)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Batman vs. Robin(2015)

    Storyboard Designer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Justice League: Throne of Atlantis(2015)

    Storyboard Designer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Batman: Assault on Arkham(2014)

    Storyboard Designer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Beware the Batman(2013)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Green Lantern: The Animated Series(2011)

    Show 14 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Batman: Year One(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Thor: Tales of Asgard(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • All-Star Superman(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Young Justice(2010)

    Show 3 episodes · Director · Other · Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Superman/Batman: Apocalypse(2010)

    Art Direction

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths(2010)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Planet Hulk(2010)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Superman/Batman: Public Enemies(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Wonder Woman(2009)

    Storyboard Artist

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Hulk Vs. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • Hulk vs. Thor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director

  • The Batman vs. Dracula(2005)

    Director · Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Batman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • The Batman(2004)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Pluto Campaign (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Godzilla: The Series - Monster War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Godzilla: The Series (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Extreme Ghostbusters(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 48 titles from 1997 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)

$4.5M worldwide

Highest rated

The Death of Superman (2018)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

Creature Commandos (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 48: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting36 of 48: 24 only directing, 12 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdProducing11 of 48: 0 only producing, 11 with another role · typical Midcredits score62ndOther crew12 of 48: 11 only other crew, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score85th

48 titles, 12 with more than one role — directing and other crew overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1990s4 · crew2000s7 · crew2010s29 · crew2020s8 · 1 acting · 7 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.

How do Sam Liu's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 39 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th5

Shape of the crowd

30 of their 39 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser30
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director

Get Jiro! (2026)

62nd percentile spread · 14% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Young Justice (2010)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 21 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

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 Sam Liu's work okay for kids?

Across up to 21 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore20 titles47–91 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity21 titles12–65 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity18 titles18–59 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs17 titles4–46 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense18 titles34–70 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most 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 Sam Liu work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam Liu's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sam Register shares the most, 21.

Directors

Writers

  • Bob Kane14 titles    See newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Bob Kane
  • Bill Finger10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Bill Finger
  • Jerry Siegel9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Jerry Siegel
  • Joe Shuster9 titles    See all 9 shared titles with Joe Shuster

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

  • Sam Register21 titles    See newest 12 of 21 shared titles with Sam Register
  • Amy McKenna13 titles    See newest 12 of 13 shared titles with Amy McKenna
  • Michael E. Uslan10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Michael E. Uslan
  • Benjamin Melniker8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Benjamin Melniker