Raman Hui: Movies & Box Office

Raman Hui Shing-Ngai (Traditional Chinese: 許誠毅), professionally known as Raman Hui, is a Hong Kong-born animator, film director, and producer whose career has connected Hong Kong, Canadian commercial animation, and Hollywood feature filmmaking. Born on 4 July 1963 in Hong Kong, he was raised by his mother with two siblings in a single-parent household. He developed an early interest in drawing and attended Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he graduated with a graphic design degree in 1984. After graduation, he worked as a cel animator at Quantum Studios in Hong Kong, gaining practical experience in hand-drawn production. In 1989, he moved to Canada for a three-month computer-animation course at Sheridan College, then created hand-drawn animated material for television commercials in Toronto. That same year, he joined Pacific Data Images as a junior animator, working on commercials and short films before the studio was acquired by DreamWorks Animation. Hui directed the shorts Sleepy Guy and Fat Cat on a Diet, and his association with PDI led to major feature-film responsibilities: he was supervising animator and lead character designer on Antz (1998), followed by supervising animator credits on Shrek (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004).

In 2004, Hui spent half a year in Hong Kong directing animation for DreamWorks’ Father of the Pride television series, work subcontracted to a Hong Kong company. He then co-directed Shrek the Third (2007), one of the franchise’s later theatrical installments, and directed additional shorts including Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five, Scared Shrekless, and Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos. His credits also encompass animation direction, story work, character design, and voice acting, including a role as Jin in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. Hui made his transition to feature directing with the Chinese-language family adventure Monster Hunt (2015), which was followed by Monster Hunt 2 (2018) and, much later, The Tiger’s Apprentice (2024). Beyond film, he illustrated children’s books with Kiehl’s to support Hong Kong organizations: Brownie and Sesame appeared in 2004, Piccolo in 2005, and Grandma Long Ears in 2006. His contributions to the Shrek films helped lead Forbes to name him in 2010 as one of 25 notable Chinese-Americans in business. Hui has described himself as a “Hong Konger living in America,” “sandwiched between Western and Chinese cultures.” Although he has adapted to life in the United States and especially valued the country as the place where he learned his professional skills, he has said he prefers living in Hong Kong while continuing to work in America.