Stephenson with John Eccleston on The Disney Club
John Stephenson is a former vice-president and creative supervisor for Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Joining the Henson company in the early 1980s, Stephenson began by working on such films as The Dark Crystal, and also served as an assistant cable control puppeteer on Dreamchild in addition to working as a mechanical designer.
Stephenson subsequently became head of the Creature Shop, supervising puppetry and visual effects on such varied films as The Flintstones, Babe, The Bear, and The English Patient. Stephenson later moved to directing, helming the Hallmark/Creature Shop co-production of Animal Farm.
Henson credits[]
- The Dark Crystal: Special mechanical design
- Dreamchild: Mechanical designer and Creature cable controls; feather application on The Gryphon
- The StoryTeller: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- The Bear: Production supervisor
- The Jim Henson Hour: co-designed Chip (with Michael K. Frith)
- Lighthouse Island: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Monster Maker: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Living with Dinosaurs: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Red Crow and the Ghost Ship: Creature Shop supervisor
- The Witches: Animatronics designer
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- The StoryTeller: Greek Myths: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- The Muppet Christmas Carol: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- The Flintstones: Creature Shop supervisor
- The Neverending Story III: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Babe: Creature Shop supervisor
- Cutthroat Island: Animatronic general visual supervisor
- Muppet Treasure Island: Creature Shop visual supervisor
- 101 Dalmatians: Creature Shop supervisor
- The Adventures of Pinocchio: 2nd unit director, Creature Shop creative supervisor
- The English Patient: Creature Shop visual supervisor
- Loch Ness: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Buddy: Creature Shop supervisor
- Lost in Space: 2nd unit director, Creature Shop supervisor
- Construction Site: Director
- Animal Farm: Director
- Brotherhood of the Wolf: Supervising animator
- Around the World in 80 Days: Creature Shop creative supervisor
- Five Children and It: Director