Carlos Saldanha

Brazilian-born director Carlos Saldanha was one of the most consistently successful animated filmmakers of his generation. As one of the creative forces behind Blue Sky Studios, Saldanha catapulted onto the scene with "Ice Age" (2002), his directorial debut. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, making over $380 million worldwide and spawning two equally successful sequels: "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006) and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009). In addition to his involvement in the widely successful "Ice Age" franchise, Saldanha channeled the lively atmosphere of his hometown with "Rio" (2011), which made nearly half a billion dollars at the global box office, with a critically-acclaimed sequel, "Rio 2," being released in April of 2014. Animated film directors rarely receive the attention of their live-action counterparts, but over the course of his immensely successful career, the talented Saldanha proved he's just as deserving of the credit.