As 3D productions are on the way to becoming the norm, Cinco Paul is right on trend with two high-profile 3D animated films on his résumé. Along with Ken Daurio, he wrote the surprise blockbuster Despicable Me, which has made more than $540 million worldwide.
Paul and his writing partner, Ken Daurio, are the hot Hollywood screenwriting team who also penned the Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! screenplay for executive Chris Meledandri during his tenure at 20th Century Fox. When Horton led to a box-office gross of nearly $300 million worldwide gross, Meledandri formed the film production company Illumination Entertainment, which specializes in animation. Illumination’s first three movies given the green light were all written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio: Despicable Me, Hop and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.
Paul and Daurio are known throughout the entertainment industry for their unique pitching style, often singing their pitches to high-level studio executives. For the Disney film College Road Trip, they belted out the ’80s tune “Double Dutch Bus” complete with harmony and melody. An estimated 90 percent of their pitches in the last nine years have involved musical performances.
Paul met Daurio while working on a church musical and they bonded immediately. In 1999, they sold their first screenplay, Special; later, they turned it into a short film that went on to play in the festival circuit due to its dark comedic story line. Next came the 2001 cult classic Bubble Boy, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal as Jimmy Livingston (a boy without an immune system), a twisted take on the John Travolta television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Paul also recently turned Bubble Boy into a full-length musical, for which he wrote the music and lyrics. His other film credits include Disney’s megahit The Santa Clause 2.
Paul studied at Yale University, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English. Upon moving to Los Angeles, he received his MFA in screenwriting from the University of Southern California, winning a fellowship grant to pay for his second year.
Illumination Entertainment
