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Sarah Smith

Sarah Smith

Producer, director and writer · Born January 9, 1966 (60) · England, UK

BAFTA Award nominee

Sarah Smith (born January 9, 1966) is an English film director, broadcast producer, and screenwriter. She is the co-founder and former CEO of Locksmith Animation. She is writer and director of the animated feature films Arthur Christmas (2011) and Ron's Gone Wrong (2021). Smith began her career in radio before serving as a television producer for live action British comedy, including as writer for the Armistice news review shows. She later served various other assisting production roles in television, and as writer for the adult animated series I Am Not an Animal. She then joined Aardman Animations as creative director, going on to direct her first feature film Arthur Christmas. She left Aardman and set up Locksmith Animation to direct Ron's Gone Wrong. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 9, 1966 (60)
From
England, UK
Works as
Producer, director and writer
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 36% in 30 days

What are Sarah Smith's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
26%
Society
22%
Power
6%
Ideas
4%
Friendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
5
Joyful
3
Absurd
3
Hopeful
2
Thrilling
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sarah Smith's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sarah Smith's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

13 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • That Christmas(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Round and Round(2023)

    Second Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Ron's Gone Wrong(2021)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Julie and the Phantoms(2020)

    Show 9 episodes · Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Why...? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Production Manager

  • Dead Silent(2016)

    Show 12 episodes · Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • The Pirates! Band of Misfits(2012)

    Co-Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Arthur Christmas(2011)

    Director · Writer · as Elf (voice)

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Dead Man Weds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • I Am Not an Animal(2004)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • In the Red (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 3 episodes · Producer

  • Fist of Fun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 12 episodes · Producer

  • Bob and Margaret(1993)

    Show Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles from 1995 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Arthur Christmas (2011)

$151M worldwide

Highest rated

Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)

Midcredits 87th

Most popular right now

Arthur Christmas (2011)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 11: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting3 of 11: 1 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting2 of 11: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing6 of 11: 5 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 11: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s2 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew2020s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2012.

  1. 2012
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Animated Film
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Feature Film

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Sarah Smith's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th3

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · writer

I Am Not an Animal (2004)

59th percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer

Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)

Midcredits 87th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sarah Smith's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 22 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 17 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 25 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 15 · minimalMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 21 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Sarah Smith work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sarah Smith's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter Baynham shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers