Michael Pellerin is a renowned Canadian-American filmmaker, documentarian, and multi-media content producer who has directed over 250 documentaries, featurettes, webisodes, and TV specials. He is best known for his documentaries chronicling Peter Jackson's films, including "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "King Kong", and "The Hobbit" trilogy.
Pellerin developed an interest in filmmaking at an early age, inspired by classic films such as "King Kong" (1933),"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954),"2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968),and the works of Stanley Kubrick.
He also has a deep passion for the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, having studied 10,000 pages of his published works and manuscripts, as well as 4,000 pages of secondary critical and academic analysis, and ancient Classical, Finnish, Gothic, Germanic, and Icelandic sagas and legends that were the antecedents of Middle-earth.
Pellerin earned dual bachelor's degrees in TV & Film and English from Northwestern University, with an emphasis on ancient English language, literature, and legend. He then attended the California Institute of the Arts MFA program in Film & Video, where he segued into editing and producing in the television industry.
He began his career as a segment producer on television specials, including "ABC's 40th Anniversary" (1994),"HBO's Comic Relief" (1995),and "Monty Python's Flying Circus: Live at Aspen" (1998). He then moved into directing and producing documentaries for The Walt Disney Company's classic and contemporary animated films, including "Fantasia" (1940),"Sleeping Beauty" (1959),"The Lion King" (1994),"Pocahontas" (1995),and "Tron" (1982).
Pellerin later worked with Pixar animation studios, documenting their first four films, including "Toy Story" (1995),"A Bug's Life" (1998),"Toy Story 2" (1999),and "Monsters, Inc." (2001).
He spent two decades living in New Zealand, documenting Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies, as well as his remake of "King Kong" (2005). During this time, he documented 10,000 hours of footage, conducted 500 interviews, and served as cameraman on over 70 productions.
Pellerin created "The Appendices" (2002-2015),a 12-part, 50-hour documentary series chronicling the making of the Middle-earth Saga and the works and life of J.R.R. Tolkien. He also helped pioneer the medium of online production video diaries, producing over 90 web episodes released weekly over a period of 14 months during the production of "King Kong" (2005).
Pellerin collaborated with Peter Jackson to produce an extensive documentary on the making of the original "King Kong" (1933),recreating several sequences from the film to demonstrate how they were achieved. He also recreated "The Lost Spider Pit Sequence" (2005),a deleted scene long lost to time, using historical records and period film equipment and techniques.
Throughout his career, Pellerin has received multiple awards, including three Saturn Awards, the International Recording Media Association Award's Best in Show, and five DVD Premiere/Exclusive Awards. He is a member of the WGA and divides his time living with his wife in Hollywood, California, and Wellington, New Zealand.
