Peter Shin
Peter Shin is an American animator, director, and producer renowned for his extensive work in television animation, particularly as the supervising director of the long-running Fox series Family Guy since its inception in 1999.[1][2] Throughout his career on Family Guy, Shin has overseen the animation production for hundreds of episodes, collaborating with creators like Seth MacFarlane and contributing to special episodes such as the Star Wars parody Blue Harvest (2007), for which he earned Primetime Emmy nominations in categories including Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More) in 2008 and Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) in 2005 and 2006.[3][2] Prior to and alongside his Family Guy tenure, Shin directed animated segments for Warner Bros. shows like Freakazoid! (1995–1997), including the episode "Tomb of Invisibo," and provided art department contributions to feature films such as Despicable Me (2010) and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003).[1][4] In 2006, Shin founded the Cartoon Animation Institute (CAI) in downtown Los Angeles, a training center focused on animation, visual effects, and digital media education, staffed by fellow Family Guy alumni to mentor emerging talent in the industry.[5]Early life and education
Early life
Peter Shin is an American animator of Korean descent.[6] Little is publicly known about his childhood environment. Shin was born on September 7, 1977.Education
Peter Shin earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Character Animation from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).[7] The Character Animation program at CalArts is internationally renowned for its rigorous curriculum, which has produced leading figures in the animation industry since its inception in 1975.[8][9] Established with input from Disney animators, it emphasizes classical principles alongside contemporary practices, fostering a deep understanding of animation as an art form.[10] This training equipped Shin with essential skills for professional animation, including character layout, which involves designing poses and compositions to convey personality and action; timing, critical for pacing movements to achieve realism and emotional impact; and overall storytelling through visual narrative.[8] These foundational techniques prepared him to transition effectively into industry roles, where precise control over character dynamics is paramount.[11]Professional career
Early career in television animation
Peter Shin began his professional career in animation shortly after graduating from the California Institute of the Arts' Character Animation Program, where he earned a B.F.A., securing entry-level positions that built his foundational skills in television production.[7] From 1990 to 1995, Shin worked on The Simpsons in various animation roles, including character layout artist, background layout artist, animation timer, and additional animation timer across 25 episodes, contributing to the show's visual style and timing during its early seasons.[1] He also served as a character layout artist on The Critic in 1994, helping to define the satirical animated series' character designs under the direction of its creators Al Jean and Mike Reiss.[1] These positions honed his expertise in layout and timing, essential for comedic animation pacing. Shin transitioned to directing, helming several episodes of the adult-oriented series Duckman starting in 1994, including the 1996 episode "The Mallardian Candidate," where he oversaw the blend of humor and action in the show's surreal storytelling.[7][12] He continued this momentum in 1995 by directing segments for Freakazoid!, notably "Tomb of Invisibo," which showcased his ability to handle fast-paced, zany superhero parody animation for Warner Bros.[7][4] Shin further expanded his animation contributions in the late 1990s and early 2000s, serving as an animation timer on The Wild Thornberrys in 1998 for Klasky Csupo.[1]Role on Family Guy
Peter Shin was hired in January 1998 as a supervising director for the animated series Family Guy, initially sharing the duties with Pete Michels and Roy Smith.[13] His prior experience as a character layout artist on The Simpsons from 1990 to 1995 provided a strong foundation for overseeing the visual storytelling and animation timing in this new role.[14] Shin directed the series premiere episode, "Death Has a Shadow," which aired on January 31, 1999, and helmed numerous subsequent episodes, including the season four opener "North by North Quahog" in 2005.[15][16] He also served as supervising director for the direct-to-video film Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005), ensuring consistency in the animation style across the feature-length project.[17] Throughout the series' run, Shin has maintained his position as supervising director, overseeing animation production for every episode up to the present day as of 2025, contributing to the show's distinctive cutout animation technique and comedic timing.[18] Over time, his responsibilities have expanded to include production credits, such as consulting producer and supervising animation producer on various episodes, reflecting his integral role in both creative and operational aspects of the series.[19][1]Other directing and production work
In addition to his primary work on Family Guy, Peter Shin served as animation director for the 2006 animated television movie Big Bug Man, a superhero parody project written and co-directed by Bob Bendetson that featured voice talents including André 3000 and Brendan Fraser, though it remains unreleased.[20][21] Shin contributed to feature animation as a storyboard artist on Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), directed by Joe Dante, where he helped develop visual sequences blending live-action and classic Looney Tunes characters. He later provided similar storyboard support for Despicable Me (2010), aiding in the comedic action layouts for Illumination Entertainment's debut film under directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. For television, Shin worked as a storyboard artist on the pilot episode of American Dad! in 2005, contributing to the visual storytelling for Seth MacFarlane's animated series.[22] Beyond directorial roles, Shin founded the Cartoon Animation Institute (CAI) in Los Angeles in 2006, serving as its CEO to offer education in animation, visual effects, and digital media, drawing on faculty from projects like Family Guy.[5][13]Filmography
Television
Peter Shin's television work spans animation, directing, and production roles across several animated series, beginning with early contributions in layout and timing before advancing to directing and supervising positions.[1]Key Television Credits
| Series | Years | Roles | Notable Episodes Directed or Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons | 1990–1995 | Character layout artist, background layout artist, animation timer, additional animation timer | Contributed to episodes including "Dead Putting Society" (layout), "Simpson and Delilah" (layout), and "Last Exit to Springfield" (timer).[14][23][24][25] |
| The Critic | 1994 | Character layout artist, animator | General animation support across the series.[26][27] |
| Freakazoid! | 1995–1997 | Director (Season 2) | "Virtual Freak" (1996), "Statuesque" (1996), "Tomb of Invisibo" (1997, co-directed with Rich Arons).[28][29][30] |
| Duckman | 1996–1997 | Director | "The Road to Dendron" (1996), "The Mallardian Candidate" (1997), "All About Elliott" (1997), "Dammit, Hollywood" (1997).[12][31][32][33] |
| The Wild Thornberrys | 1998 | Animation timer | One-time timer contribution.[34][33] |
| Family Guy | 1999–present | Supervising director, producer, co-executive producer (from Season 11) | Directed pilot "Death Has a Shadow" (1999); "North by North Quahog" (2007); "The Simpsons Guy" (2014, crossover special, also executive producer). Supervising director on all episodes.[35][36][30][33] |
| Time Squad | 2001–2003 | Sheet timer, additional sheet timer | Contributed to 6 episodes.[37][33] |
| American Dad! | 2005 | Storyboard artist | Pilot episode (2005).[22][38] |