Peter Lepeniotis

Peter Lepeniotis (born c. 1965) is a Canadian animator, film director, screenwriter and producer of Greek descent. He is best known for his 2005 animated short Surly Squirrel. He adapted the short into the full-length feature film, The Nut Job, which Lepeniotis co-wrote and directed. It was released theatrically on January 17, 2014 by Open Road Films and The Weinstein Company. Due to the film's success at the box office, Lepeniotis and the team at ToonBox Entertainment (the studio that produced Lepeniotis' feature film) greenlit a sequel, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, which was released on August 11, 2017.