MOMO WANG
Momo Wang is an animation and creative director for the entertainment studio Illumination Entertainment. She directs short films and animated content for the company’s blockbuster franchises including Minions, Despicable Me, Sing, and The Grinch.
Recently, Momo wrote and directed Penglai, an animated short film narrated by Scarlet Johannsen and produced by Illumination / Universal Pictures. She is also an Inductee into the Asian Hall of Fame for her trailblazing art and creative work in the U.S. and China.
Download Momo's biography & headshot.
Animator, Filmmaker, Fine Artist
Growing up in Beijing Momo spent her childhood immersed in comics and animation. While earning her animation degree at the Communication University of China (CUC), Beijing she created Tuzki, a lovable bunny character that has gone on to become one of the most recognized, branded characters worldwide.
She built and sold the Tuzki franchise to Time-Warner and relocated to Hong Kong to oversee the brand’s growth.
Momo then moved to Los Angeles and earned her MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2014. She later founded the Momo Wang Scholarship in 2020 to support international students attending CalArts.
Momo is the author of numerous cartoon, graphic novel and book series that have sold nearly one million copies worldwide. Titles include Momo Who?, The Best of You is Yet to Come, and I, Tuzki, U? which spent over one year on Best Seller lists across Asia. Her digital work, from comics to stickers, has been shared by billions of consumers worldwide.
Momo collaborates with global brands including Gap, Tencent, Apple, HP, Motorola, Vans, and CryptoKitties on content and fashion projects. She has over one million followers across her social media channels.
Her work and stories have been featured globally across major media outlets, including CNN, South China Morning Post, GQ, Elle, Cosmpolitan, Sanlian Lifeweek, Southern Weekly, and The Financial Times.
Momo currently lives in sunny Southern California and is working on her first animated feature film.
Media Coverage
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Momo Wang video presentation with Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri at UCLA - Oct 2023
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Interview with Momo Wang by The Female Quotient (starts at 1:32) - May 2023
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Animator Momo Wang Used Her Tuzki Success to Catapult Her Career in Animation - Forbes - January 2023
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Momo Wang’s new animated short ‘Penglai’ getting Oscars buzz - KTLA News - December 2022
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Penglai: Writer/director Momo Wang on creating Illumination's animated short - Post Magazine - December 2022
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Fishing for Enlightenment in Momo Wang’s ‘Penglai’ - Animation Magazine - December 2022
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Momo Wang & Her Amazing Animated Short “Penglai” - Mo'Kelly Show KFI / I Heart Radio - December 2022
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Animator Momo Wang on writing and directing her new short film, Penglai - Creative Boom - December 2022
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Grammy winners & celebrities inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame - AsAm News - November 2022
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Oscar Watch 2023: The Long Shorts List - Animation Magazine - October 2022
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Daniel Ho, Hiroshima, Tia Carrere & More to Be Inducted Into Asian Hall of Fame - Billboard Magazine - October 2022
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FENDER CUSTOM SHOP™ AND ILLUMINATION JOIN FORCES TO CREATE ONE-OF-A-KIND "FENDER® x MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU" COLLECTION - PR Newswire - July 2022
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Laundry Studios “Turn Up The Sunshine” with Illumination Entertainment - Stash - June 2022
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Illumination’s Chris Meledandri On Sharing “Pure Joy” Of ‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’ - Deadline - June 2022
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Warnermedia’s Most Famous Rabbit, Tuzki, Is Getting His Own TV Series - Cartoon Brew - October 2019
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Film fame beckons for Chinese emoticon - Shine China - May 2019
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APOS: Turner and Tencent Reteam on Tuzki-Starring ‘Second Time’ - Variety - April 2019
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Former YouTube Executive Launches Next 10 Ventures - Deadline - May 2018
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Meet China's social sensation Tuzki - CNN - November 2017
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Popular Chinese Emoticon Tuzki Is Getting An Animated Feature - Cartoon Brew - September 2016
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China’s popular rabbit Tuzki expands its digital pawprint - Financial Times - April 2015
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Tuzki Stars in Valentine's Day Animation from TurnOut Ventures - PR Newswire - February 2014
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CalArts Legends Featured in Vanity Fair - SCV News - February 2014