Kelly Younger

Kelly Younger is a screenwriter and award-winning playwright with work staged off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally.

Younger has spent the past two years developing and writing a forthcoming Disney Animation Feature film, and continues work as a Story Consultant for the studio. He has been a member of the Disney Animation Story Trust since 2016, working on such films as Moana, Frozen 2, Wreck-It Ralph 2, and others in development including the live-action Tinkerbell (prod. Reese Witherspoon) and the live-action Aladdin (dir. Guy Ritchie); and a participant in the Pixar Animation Brain Trust on Cars 3, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, and other forthcoming films.

He co-wrote the hit comedy Kalamazoo with Michelle Kholos Brooks (Dramatists Play Service, 2016; Riva Shriver Comedy Award.) Other theater projects include Banished Children of Eve (Off-Broadway); and Ink (finalist Joanne Woodward/Paul Newman Drama Award.) His play Tender was nominated for Best New Play IRNE award, was a finalist for the Laurents/Hatcher Award, and was part of Manhattan Theatre Club’s “7@7” series, directed by Lynne Meadow, starring David Harbour.

Younger’s short play, Mandate (Samuel French, 2015) won the 39th Samuel French Off-Off- Broadway Short Play Festival and has received productions as far away as Dubai. Other short plays include Let’s Get Physical (Hollywood; Miami; Edinburgh Fringe Festival), and Best Lei’d Plans (Hollywood, Barrington MA; Miami.)

Younger is currently developing a feature film with Josephson Entertainment (Enchanted), having previously developed with Mandeville Films; Gil Netter Productions; DreamWorks Animation; Disney Channel; as well as individual projects with Robert Lawrence (Clueless), Jon Turtletaub (National Treasure), and Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean). He is also a Story Consultant for Illumination Animation Studios.

He is managed by Washington Square Arts and Film in New York, and represented by CAA in Los Angeles and New York.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Younger earned an MA in Classics at Loyola University Chicago and PhD in Drama Studies from University College Dublin in Ireland.

At LMU, he teaches courses in Dramatic Literature, Play Writing, and a popular seminar Fairy Tales.