Craig McCracken, also known as Craig Douglas McCracken, is one of the prominent animators in the film industry. His works are praiseworthy and highly creative. Moreover, the artist is known for his creation of the well-known animation series The PowerPuff Girls. He has also worked alongside other famous animators and produced several animations.
The celebrity is also associated with the popular animation creator Lauren Faust. The latter is best known for the series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. In addition, Craig McCracken's wife, Lauren, has also got more than a decade of experience credentials under her belt. She has also collaborated with her spouse on many projects.
So, let's go through Craig McCracken's biography and learn more about his life and career.
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Early Life And Family
The American animation creator was born on March 31, 1971, in Charleroi, Pennslyvania into a loving family. Moreover, the young artist was passionate about drawing from the age of three. What began as a hobby later transpired into his whole career.
Initially, Craig wanted to be a comic-strip artist. He loved Tintin, The Rocketeer, Krazy Kat, etc., in his childhood. But the lack of success in the comic industry changed the young guy's perspective towards animation. He was definite about pursuing a career in the film industry as an animator.
Craig McCracken started drawing cartoons by the age of three. Photo Source: Social Media.
Craig McCracken finished his high school education at California High School. After that, he was admitted to the California Institute Of Arts for further study. During his college years, the artist was determined to learn more about art and honed his drawing skills to boot. He also met his classmate Genndy Tartakovsky who later created Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Primal, etc.
The animator began creating cartoon series during his time at the university. His series of shorts featuring the character No Neck Joe was picked up by Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. The incident provided the creator the confidence to build up unique characters which would be realistic and funny at the same time. As a result, he made a short movie named Whoopass Stew!.
Craig McCracken Net Worth And Career
The animation artist has been in the entertainment industry for more than two decades. Alongside popularity, he has also accumulated a fortune from his career. So, the celeb's income mainly comprises his earnings from his job. However, it also includes his shares from collaborations with other animators in different projects.
Craig McCracken is versatile in many fields such as writing, storyboard, directing, and production which also comprises his total net worth. Photo Source: Social Media.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Craig McCracken's net worth is $1 million. His works have also performed well commercially after their release. In addition, Craig's wife, Lauren Faust, has also succeeded in her career with her outstanding works. With the combination of their income, the pair are enjoying a comfortable life.
Earnings From Directing
Craig McCracken began his work with Rob Renzetti on the 2 Stupid Dogs in 1993. He was an art director for the animation series. Moreover, the director also collaborated with his friend Genndy Tartakovsky for Dexter's Laboratory. He worked as a writer and art director for its earlier seasons.
Afterward, the artist created his most significant series of his career, The Powerpuff Girls. It was made from his short cartoon film Whoopass Stew! and was later renamed. The pilot, The Powerpuff Girls in: Meat Fuzzy Lumkins premiered on February 20, 1995, on Cartoon Network. The whole series aired on November 18, 1998.
The series featured three girls with superpowers fighting against the band in the world. Their unique storyline attracted lots of audiences and received many positive criticisms. In addition, the animation went on to create gain a massive fanbase and resulted in their own merchandise line. It also earned nominations for six Emmy Awards, nine Annie Awards, and a Kid's Choice Award during its airing.
Craig McCracken also wrote the storyline for the series. He has also worked as an executive producer, art director, narrator, and animator during his time on the series. Additionally, the animation creator also directed the movie The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002 as a prequel. However, it was a commercial failure in the theatres.
The animator left The Powerpuff Girls after four seasons. He then became an executive producer for Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends in 2004. Moreover, Craig developed the animation series with his wife, Lauren Faust and Mike Moon. The show was a blockbuster hit and received Emmy and Annie awards.
Additionally, Craig McCracken was awarded a Primetime Emmy Award in 2005 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. The series also earned him another Emmy award in 2009 for the Outstanding Animated Program.
The talented director worked in Cartoon Network for fifteen years then shifted to Disney Channel. He created Wander Over Yonder in 2013. At present, McCracken is the producer of the animated series Kid Cosmic. It premiered on February 2, 2021, on Netflix.
With such a wide accolade of directorial works, Craig McCracken's net worth must have increased over the years of his career.
Income as an Animator
Alongside creating and directing the series, Craig McCracken has also given continuity to his animation skills. He has performed as an art director in almost all of his projects. In addition, the producer is also a designer and layout artist of many of the characters of his projects. He has performed as an animation director on many occasions.
In addition to his own projects, McCracken has been credited for his work on many series. Those series have also gained high ratings in the media. Some of them are listed below:
| Animation Series And Movies | Ratings |
| The Iron Giant | 8 |
| Dumb and Dumber | 5.6 |
| Chowder | 7.3 |
| What a Cartoon Show | 8.3 |
| The Big Sister | 7.2 |
The art director is also active on the online art community DeviantArt. His account has 19.6K watchers and 730.2K page views. However, the artist rarely posts his art on his account due to his busy schedule. Still, his fans love his drawings and await his next post. Thus, Craig McCracken's income is also benefitted by his animation works.
Living Blissfully With His Family
Aforementioned, Craig McCracken is in a marital relationship with Lauren Faust. The duo got married on March 13, 2004. Furthermore, they met for the first time on the set of The Powerpuff Girls, where Lauren joined as an animator and storyboard artist. They had an instant connection during their initial meeting, and the rest is history.
Afterward, the pair also collaborated on many projects such as Wander Over Yonder, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, The Powerpuff Girls Rule, Kid Cosmic, etc.
The lovebirds are also the parents of an adorable baby girl who was born in 2016. However, we don't know much about her as she is kept away from the media by her parents. Still, according to his Twitter post, Craig McCracken's daughter loves Pixar's animation movie, Luca.
Craig McCracken and his wife Laura Faust have been married for nearly two decades. Photo Source: Social Media.
At present, the animation creator is enjoying a wonderful life with his wife and daughter. He is also busy with his current project Kid Cosmic. Likewise, Craig McCracken's wife, Lauren Faust, is also working on animation series whose content isn't disclosed to the public.
Despite being in the film industry for more than twenty years, the artist is still enthusiastic about working and creating new ideas and visions. We will indeed see the couple giving outstanding performances in the future.
Also Read: Hajime Isayama Biography - Attack on Titan Creator
Trivia and Facts
- Craig McCracken has 6.3K Instagram followers and 73.8K Twitter followers.
- He only posts his artwork on his Instagram account.
- Craig came up with the idea for Kid Cosmic in 2009 but only picked the story after Netflix contacted him to create an animation series.
