Dean Wellins

Writer, director and actor · Born March 27, 1971 (55) · Zaragoza, Spain

Dean Wellins was born March 24th, 1971 to Stan and Ellen Wellins at a US Air Force Base near Zaragosa, Spain. At about the age of three, his father (a Dentist/Oral Surgeon in the Air Force) was re-stationed and Dean along with his brothers William and Mike and his sister Patti, moved back to the US. First to Wyoming them finally to Merced, California. A few years later, his parents divorced and Dean spent the rest of his childhood with his mother and siblings in Merced until she remarried and moved them to Dos Palos, California where he went to Junior High and High School. After graduating he attended the University of California at Davis, where he studied art and design and was later accepted into the Character Animation Program at CalArts in Valencia, California. He then spent the next 27 years in the animation industry working on feature films such as The Iron Giant, Frozen, Zootopia and Big Hero 6. He then joined the director ranks at Walt Disney Animation Studios beginning with the short film, "Tick Tock Tale" in 2009 and Feature Film "Raya and the Last Dragon". He lives in Newhall, California with his wife, Teresa and his three sons Ethan, Owen and Aiden.

What are Dean Wellins' films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight

Bonds

43%

Society

20%

Self

18%

Survival

11%

Ideas

9%

Community2

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm

2

Hopeful

2

Thrilling

2

Joyful

1

Bittersweet

1

Other

1

How their films linger

Hopeful3 Feel-good2

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 Dean Wellins' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (3).

Also on these channels

Howdy1 title, show their title on Howdy

Subscription and free streaming for Dean Wellins' titles on Motif; 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

7 credits, 5 with a Motif page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Baymax!(2022)
Show 3 episodes · Director
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows
Raya and the Last Dragon(2021)
Story
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Zootopia(2016)
Additional Storyboarding
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Tick Tock Tale (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)
Director · Art Direction · Story · as The Bobby (voice)
Osmosis Jones(2001)
Supervising Animator
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Iron Giant(1999)
Storyboard Artist · Supervising Animator
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Pullet Surprise (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
Story