Renaud began work as a
graphic designer in the sports entertainment industry. He has created
logos and
mascots for NFL Properties, the NBA, and Foot Locker. After working as a designer and illustrator for a variety of publications and agencies, Renaud began drawing and writing
comic books. Working for both
Marvel Comics and
DC Comics, his projects included illustrating Marvel's
Starfleet Academy and pitching the story concept that evolved into
Batman: Cataclysm which depicted a devastating earthquake hitting Gotham City. This yearlong tale across all Batman-related comics resulted in increased sales and visibility for the renowned character and set up the acclaimed ''
No Man's Land'' storyline that followed. As the production designer on the Disney Channel's
The Book of Pooh, Renaud transitioned into the world of children's television. Since that groundbreaking project, he has been able to design virtual sets and puppet characters for
Bear in the Big Blue House,
LazyTown, Curious Pictures and
Sony Pictures Animation. With ''
It's a Big Big World'', which aired from 2006 to 2010 on
PBS, he took the lead in visual development and design of every aspect of the program. Renaud worked for
Blue Sky Studios as a story artist on the films
Robots,
Ice Age: The Meltdown, and the Dr. Seuss adaptation
Horton Hears a Who!. He wrote and co-directed the animated short
No Time for Nuts, which received an
Annie Award and a 2007 Oscar nomination for animated short film. It was also included in the
Animation Show of Shows in 2006. Renaud moved to Paris to work for
Illumination Entertainment. Then Renaud hit upon the notion that they could be mole people and slapped goggles on them. "I did a very rough, ugly, little sketch combining some elements into a mole person and sent it to Pierre, who then discussed it with Eric Guillon, who was the art director and final designer of the Minions, and they took some of those ideas and together we came up with what the Minions look like". The more the filmmakers worked on the little guys, the more yellow and more cylindrical they became. "Eric continued to refine the idea and made [the Minions] closer to children. He made them funnier and simpler and a brighter color". Among the inspirations for the Minions were the
Oompa-Loompas from
Willy Wonka and the
Jawas from
Star Wars, as well as silent screen stars
Buster Keaton and
Charlie Chaplin, and Warner Bros. cartoon characters. In a four-picture directing deal, he directed
Despicable Me (2010), ''
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012), Despicable Me 2 (2013), and The Secret Life of Pets'' (2016), in which two pet dogs, Max and Duke, have to put their quarrels behind when they find out that a bunny, Snowball, is building an army of abandoned pets to take revenge on all pet owners and their pets. Renaud signed a new contract with Illumination Entertainment in 2013, saying: "I love working with Illumination. They've given me an unparalleled opportunity to keep directing one movie after another. Very often animation directors make one movie and then spend the next five years developing another one. But I'm in the unique position of being able to keep working and keep making movies... So I feel very fortunate." When asked if he would shift towards live-action movies, he said that he has thought about it and it may happen in the future but he feels comfortable with animation for now. ==Personal life==