Kelly Younger is a screenwriter, TV writer, playwright, story consultant, and Emmy-nominated producer. He is currently a writer on the new installment of The Muppet Show, produced by Seth Rogen, directed by Alex Timbers, and starring Sabrina Carpenter. He wrote the Amazon feature film Candy Cane Lane, starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross, directed by Reginald Hudlin, and produced by Imagine Entertainment. The film premiered in December 2023 and became the biggest Amazon MGM Studios–produced title of all time domestically.

Younger has an ongoing creative partnership with The Muppets Studio, where he co-created and co-executive produced Muppets Now and co-wrote and co-executive produced Muppets Haunted Mansion (winner of the 2022 PGA Award for Outstanding Children’s Programming and recipient of four Emmy nominations, including one win). Both are streaming on Disney+. He also wrote Kermit’s Commencement Address to the University of Maryland, Class of 2025. 

As a member of the Disney Animation Story Trust, Younger contributed to Ralph Breaks the Internet (story credit), Frozen 2, Moana, and Raya and the Last Dragon. He also consulted on Disney’s live-action Tinkerbell (with Reese Witherspoon) and Aladdin (directed by Guy Ritchie), and participated in the Pixar Brain Trust on Cars 3, Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Coco, and Onward. He is currently co-writing a feature film for Skydance Animation with directors Rich Moore (Zootopia) and Jim Reardon (WALL-E). He recently completed a script for a reboot of a legacy film franchise for Disney Studios and producer Jason Reed (Mulan).

Additionally, Younger has developed material for Paramount Animation, Warner Animation Group, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, Apple, Hulu, and Disney Originals. He also developed  an animated TV series with Brian Calhoun and musician Dave Matthews.

As a playwright, Younger’s work has been produced Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally. His comedy Kalamazoo, co-written with Michelle Kholos Brooks, won the Reva Shiner Comedy Award and is published by Dramatists Play Service. He was commissioned by New York’s Irish Repertory Theatre to adapt Peter Quinn’s Banish Children of Eve for the stage, and his play Tender (nominated for Best New Play by the IRNE Awards and finalist for the Laurents/Hatcher Award) was developed by Manhattan Theatre Club and featured in their “7x7” series, starring Michael Shannon and directed by Lynne Meadow. His comedy Mandate won the Samuel French Off-Broadway Festival and is in development as a feature film. Several of his short plays have also been published, received awards, and produced around the world, from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to performances in Dubai.

Younger is also a story consultant, often brought into studios to assist with projects in development and production. He is a frequent speaker on fairy tales and story structure, and a recurring panelist and judge at the Austin Film Festival. He is a proud member of STORY HOUSE, the production company led by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out 1 & 2) and Joe Forte (Firewall), where he regularly participates in and leads creative roundtables for Netflix Original Film.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Younger earned an MA in Classics from Loyola University Chicago and a PhD in Literature from University College Dublin. He is a tenured professor in the Department of English at Loyola Marymount University, where he teaches writing workshops and seminars on fairy tales.