Samantha Suyi Lee, a brilliant Singaporean animator, director and storyboard artist has become the first to win a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for an Animated Series. Lee, who is Los Angeles based, was awarded the honor on March 15, 2025 for her contribution to the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode, The Molecular Level in the second season of the show.
The victory is a historical milestone for her because Lee is the first Singaporean to have won a Children’s and Family Emmy Award. The animated show which is based on Marvel Comics is about the adventures of a girl named Lunella Lafayette and her dinosaur friend, Devil Dinosaur. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur also received more awards including Best Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series and Best Writing for an Animated Series.
Lee started her career in Singapore where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in animation from Nanyang Technological University in 2010. She first worked for One Animation, working on shows such as Oddbods, which gained multiple International Emmy nominations. Lee subsequently relocated to the U.S. where she worked on high productions such as Cleopatra In Space and DC League of Super Pets.
Aside from her triumph, Lee is also hoping that her victory would encourage young, aspiring Singaporean artists and push for more encouragement of creative careers in the area. She stresses that art is a worthwhile career to be valued which is essential to cultivating talent and making authentic, powerful stories.
