Matthew Shumway

Animation Supervisor

Matthew Shumway is an Academy Award®-nominated Animation Supervisor with more than 20 years of experience creating groundbreaking character animation and visual effects for some of the world’s most acclaimed filmmakers, including Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ang Lee, and Ron Howard.

As an Animation Supervisor at ILM, Shumway has worked across a diverse range of animation styles, bringing everything from photorealistic animals to stylized characters into live-action worlds.

Shumway recently oversaw Disney’s live-action/animation hybrid feature Lilo & Stitch, helping bring the beloved blue alien into the real world. He led the development of the film’s major animated characters and their distinctive motion styles, including Stitch. Shumway was also on set during principal photography, working closely with the cast and filmmakers to ensure performances felt natural alongside a CG character. In post-production, he led a global team of animators responsible for the characters’ final performances.

Shumway received an Academy Award® nomination for his work on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant. As Animation Supervisor, he helped lead the development and animation of the film’s photorealistic animals, including wolves, buffalo, cubs, and the film’s imposing grizzly bear. The production required highly detailed animal performances that seamlessly integrated into Iñárritu’s immersive live-action world. The film’s iconic bear sequence earned honors from both the Visual Effects Society and ASIFA Hollywood for outstanding character animation.

Shumway was also the Animation Supervisor on James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, overseeing complex action sequences including the epic Roman siege of Syracuse and the film’s opening flashback, which featured an extensive de-aging sequence of Harrison Ford.

Prior to joining ILM, Shumway served as an Animation Supervisor on Ang Lee’s Academy Award®-winning Life of Pi. He helped lead the development and animation of Richard Parker, the film’s central Bengal tiger, and his work on the character earned him a 2013 Annie Award.

Shumway’s next project is Whalefall, where he will serve as Animation Supervisor on the 2026 feature.

SELECT CREDITS

2026 WHALEFALL - Animation Supervisor

2025 LILO & STITCH – Animation Supervisor

  • VES Award Nomination

2023 INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY – Animation Supervisor

2019 JURASSIC WORLD: THE RIDE – Animation Supervisor 

2018 SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY – Animation Supervisor 

  • VES Award Nomination

2017 STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI – Animation Supervisor

2015 THE REVENANT – Animation Supervisor

  • Academy Award Nomination

  • VES Award Winner

  • Annie Award Winner

2012 Life of Pi – Animation Supervisor

  • Annie Award Winner