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Joe Stillman

Joe Stillman

Writer

Joseph Stillman is a television and movie writer, producer and director. Stillman is well known for working on films like Shrek and Shrek 2, Curious George, The Lightning Thief and Gulliver's Travels.  Before becoming a screenwriter he worked for several TV comedies such as Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, Doug and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. He started his career on films like Home Movies (1980) and Creepshow (1982). He just finished Planet 51 for director Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad and Marcos Martínez. He is currently working on an upcoming film Alien Zoo.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Writer
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 22 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 6% in 30 days

What are Joe Stillman's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
29%
Society
17%
Ideas
6%
Morality
5%
Power
1%
Survival
1%
Friendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 0 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 3

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 9

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 11 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
11
Absurd
7
Warm
6
Manic
3
Hopeful
2
Other
10

How their films linger

Feel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet1
  • Cyclical1

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 Joe Stillman's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Peacock (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joe Stillman'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

22 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page.

  • Curious George: Royal Monkey(2019)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Danger & Eggs(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all shows

  • Albert(2016)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Kirby Buckets(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • Sanjay and Craig(2013)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Shrek the Musical(2013)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Shrek's Thrilling Tales(2012)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Gulliver's Travels(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Shrek Forever After(2010)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Planet 51(2009)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Shrek the Third(2007)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Shrek 2(2004)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Shrek(2001)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party(2001)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Joseph: King of Dreams(2000)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • King of the Hill(1997)

    Show 5 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Beavis and Butt-Head Do America(1996)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Clueless (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

  • The Adventures of Pete & Pete (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 11 episodes · Writer

  • Beavis and Butt-Head(1993)

    Show 21 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Doug(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 18 titles from 1990 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Shrek 2 (2004)

$933M worldwide

Highest rated

Shrek (2001)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing18 of 18: 18 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

By decade

1990s7 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s6 · 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 Joe Stillman's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive3
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · writer

Danger & Eggs (2015)

97th percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Shrek (2001)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 56/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 9 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 Joe Stillman's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles31–49 · median 34 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles24–47 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity8 titles11–50 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles12–45 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles30–48 · median 34 · mildnear 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 Joe Stillman work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joe Stillman's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; William Steig shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles