Michael Nawrocki is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 voice actor, writer, animator and director. He is the co-founder (along with Phil Vischer

Phil Vischer

Phillip "Phil" Vischer is an American voice actor, animator, director, writer and puppeteer known for creating the computer-animated video series VeggieTales with partner and friend Mike Nawrocki...

) and Executive Vice President of Big Idea Entertainment

Big Idea Entertainment

Big Idea Entertainment, LLC. is an American Christian animation production company best known for its computer-animated VeggieTales series of Christian-themed family home videos...

, the company best known for bringing computer-animated vegetables to life in the popular VeggieTales

VeggieTales

VeggieTales is an American series of children's computer animated films featuring anthropomorphic vegetables in stories conveying moral themes based on Christianity...

 series. Nawrocki is a voice actor who performs several of the VeggieTales characters, including Larry the Cucumber. His work as writer and director includes directing most of the "Silly Songs with Larry

Silly Songs with Larry

Silly Songs with Larry is a regular feature in the Big Idea's popular 3D cartoon series VeggieTales. It generally consists of Larry the Cucumber singing either alone or with some of the other Veggie characters. Occasionally, another character or an ensemble gets the lead vocal. It is occasionally...

" segments, along with several of the VeggieTales episodes, and developing the 3-2-1 Penguins!

3-2-1 Penguins!

3-2-1 Penguins! is a series of Sci-Fi computer-animated cartoons launched on November 14, 2000.3-2-1 Penguins! is a series of Sci-Fi computer-animated cartoons launched on November 14, 2000.3-2-1 Penguins! is a series of Sci-Fi computer-animated cartoons launched on...

 series. He directed The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie is a 2008 American animated feature-length family adventure film directed by Mike Nawrocki and written by Phil Vischer. Produced through Big Idea Productions animation studio and the animation by Starz Animation, it is the second film featuring...

.

Life and career

Nawrocki originally wanted a career in the medicine field. He studied at St. Paul College of Bible where he met Phil Vischer at the puppet ministry. Nawrocki later enrolled at the University of Illinois, and joined Vischer at GRAFx, Mike helped to finance his medical education by taking a job with Renaissance Video, a video production facility where he gained experience in production

Video production

Video production is videography, the process of capturing moving images on electronic media even streaming media. The term includes methods of production and post-production...

 and animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

. In 1994, Nawrocki left Film & Tape Works, a company that had purchased GRAFx Studios and his future in medicine to join Vischer and founded Big Idea Productions.

After the Vischer's departure from Big Idea Nawrocki took charge.

On September 30, 2008, Big Idea, Inc. announced that Mike Nawrocki has been appointed Vice President of Development. He will "oversee all creative and production at the Big Idea studio," "spearhead the development and launch of new series, brands and properties for Big Idea," will have the "initial focus will include developing an original new VeggieTales TV series," and "cultivate new strategic partnerships and alliances in the creative community to help expand the Big Idea portfolio."

Personal life

He resides in Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...

 with his wife Lisa, and his two children, Alejandra "Ally" and Michael Jr..

His wife Lisa is Colombian

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

 and assists in translating the VeggieTales episodes into Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

.

"Veggies" voiced by Mike Nawrocki

• Larry the Cucumber/Larryboy
• Jerry Gourd
• Jean-Claude, a French Pea
• Scallion #2
• Oscar the Polish Caterer
• The Peach
• Cockney Pea #1 (was the first Ninevite from Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
  Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
  Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie is a 2002 American computer-animated film based on VeggieTales, produced by Big Idea Productions, Lions Gate Films and FHE Pictures. It is the first feature-length film in the VeggieTales series....
  
  )
• Granddad (also not a vegetable in the first episode of 3-2-1 Penguins! Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn)
• Monster #3 (not a veggie from "Where's God When I'm S-scared?")

Published works

Books by Nawrocki include the following:

• Bob Lends a Helping . . . Hand? (2003) ISBN 0-3107-0538-X (co-author with Cindy Kenney)

• Peas and Thank You! (2003) ISBN 0-3107-0540-1 (writing as the voice of Larry the Cucumber)

• The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and Me! (2004) (co-authour with Karen Poth)

External links