Pete Oswald is a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and an Annie Award-nominated animation production designer best known for The Angry Birds Movie film franchise and Oscar® Nominated ParaNorman, in addition to multiple animated studio films. He is also known for his work as a children's book author and illustrator, and painter. Pete's work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Smart Cookie, all written by Jory John.
As a character designer and concept artist, Pete has helped to uplift many of the most successful animated franchises. Among other projects, Pete has worked on Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball 1 & 2; and Hotel Transylvania; and Oscar® Nominated ParaNorman, for which he earned an Annie Award nomination. Pete also earned two additional Annie Award nominations for shorts that he directed and designed: The Story of Walls and Doubtsourcing.
Pete’s author debut, Hike, was shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. It published early 2020 from Candlewick Press. The Attack of the Underwear Dragon and The Return of the Underwear Dragon, written by Scott Rothman and illustrated by Pete, are both indie-bestsellers. The Food Group Series published by HarperCollins, includes The Bad Seed (2017), The Good Egg (2019), The Cool Bean (2019), The Couch Potato (2020), The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape! (2020), The Smart Cookie (2021), The Bad Egg Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky (2021), and The Sour Grape (2022) written by Jory John and illustrated by Pete. All five released books have been on The New York Times Bestseller List for children's picture books.
Passionate about painting, Pete is also active in the fine arts space. He recently debuted a collection of paintings inspired by the California Coast, in the pop-up art gallery show, “Pacific Abstract.” The show, hosted at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station, captures his observations in an impressionistic, yet graphic style. The series celebrates Pete’s affinity for his favorite coastline, inspired by his personal experiences since moving to Los Angeles from his native Utah to attend Loyola Marymount University. Pete previously has shown his work at WWA Gallery in Culver City.
Pete lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and three sons.