Lawrence Guterman

One of the few Hollywood directors with a Physics degree from Harvard University, Larry Guterman also studied at MIT before directing his talents toward filmmaking. Originally from Canada, Guterman moved to Los Angeles after his Harvard days and began studying film at USC, where his short film "Headless!" snagged the Grand Jury Prize at the Houston International Film Festival and caught the eye of Steven Spielberg. The aspiring filmmaker was then hired by DreamWorks to direct the 1996 video game "Goosebumps: Escape from Horrorland," which led to extensive work on the popular animated feature "Antz" in 1998. In 1999, Guterman first encountered the script that would serve as his debut directorial effort, "Cats & Dogs," and was determined to bring the difficult project to the screen. Combining live action footage of canine and felines with animation and puppets, Guterman and his team brought his vision of a realistic battle between cats and dogs to life in 2001, earning a top spot at the box office and positive reviews. 2005's "Son of the Mask," Guterman's follow-up effort, was not as well received, winning a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Remake or Sequel. Undeterred, the director went on to more work in the animation field, helming Cartoon Network's Adult Swim cartoon "Mongo Wrestling Alliance" in 2011.