Peter Lepeniotis

Peter Lepeniotis, a Canadian animation director of Greek descent, was born in 1965. He is most notably recognized for his 2005 animated short, Surly Squirrel. Leveraging the success of this short, Lepeniotis adapted it into a full-length feature film, titled The Nut Job, which he co-wrote and directed. The film was released theatrically on January 17, 2014, courtesy of Open Road Films and The Weinstein Company. The film's impressive opening weekend at the box office granted Lepeniotis the green light to proceed with a sequel, The Nut Job 2, which is slated for release on January 15, 2016. For the sequel, Lepeniotis will once again assume the roles of director and co-writer.