Igor Kovalyov

Award-winning filmmaker and animator Igor Kovalyov, besides directing his own films, was also a member of the Klasky Csupo animation studio responsible for shows like "Rugrats" and "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters." He was born in Kiev, Ukraine and co-founded the Pilot School of Animation in Moscow. In 1991, Kovalyov joined the Klasky Csupo studio in Hollywood where he directed episodes of their hit cartoons "Rugrats" and "Aahh!!! Real Monsters" for the Nickelodeon channel. In 1992, he directed the short film "Andrey Svislotskiy," which won the Silver Dragon Award at the Cracow Film Festival. After again finding success on the short film circuit in 1996 with "Bird in a Window," which took the Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Kovalyov then co-directed the box-office hit "The Rugrats Movie" in 1998. The feature length animated film, which made well over $100 million in the domestic market, adapted the television show with voice appearances from a host of actors and musicians like Iggy Pop, Fred Schneider, Beck, Phife Dawg, Busta Rhymes, Tim Curry, and David Spade. Kovalyov returned to short films with "Milch," released in 2005, which won the Grand Prix award at three international animation festivals: Hiroshima, Krok, and Ottawa.