Susan Fitzer

Susan Fitzer’s name pops up in the credits of some of the quirkiest animated flicks from the past couple decades. The Penguins of Madagascar—yeah, that wild spin-off that had everyone rooting for a bunch of chubby, flightless birds with way too much swagger—definitely had her touch all over it. She’s got this knack for bringing out the weird charm in characters, making them both hilarious and, weirdly enough, kinda lovable. Then there’s Flushed Away, which, honestly, is just a fever dream of rats, frogs, and sewer shenanigans. Not many people could wrangle that much chaos and turn it into something both fast-paced and genuinely funny, but Susan pulls it off. Turbo? Oh, you know, just your average story about a snail that wants to go full Fast & Furious. Pretty bonkers, right? But somehow, she gets you to care about a racing-obsessed mollusk and his underdog dreams. There’s a certain energy in films she’s involved with—it’s all quick wit, slapstick, and heart. You sit down expecting to just laugh at the ridiculousness, and then next thing you know, you’re weirdly invested in a snail’s self-esteem or rooting for sewer rats to find happiness. That’s Susan’s magic: she makes the oddest stories feel like the most important thing in the world for ninety minutes. If you’re into animation that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still lands an emotional punch, her movies are basically a must-watch.