Joseph David Stem (born June 26, 1973) is an acclaimed American screenwriter and producer best known for co-writing family blockbusters like Shrek 2, The Rugrats Movie, and The Smurfs alongside writing partner David N. Weiss. Born in Durham, North Carolina, he has spent over 25 years in the industry, specializing in storytelling, creative leadership, and franchise building for major studios.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 26, 1973 (53)
- Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Writer
- 13 on MovieCove · 16 credits in all
What are J. David Stem's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 3 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0
Gentle 8 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 8 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 8
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 10 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 10 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy10
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch J. David Stem's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for J. David Stem's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
16 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.
Disenchanted(2022)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
The Smurfs 2(2013)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
The Smurfs(2011)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Daddy Day Camp(2007)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Are We Done Yet?(2007)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Zoom(2006)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Are We There Yet?(2005)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Shrek 2(2004)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Clockstoppers(2002)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Rugrats in Paris(2000)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Mission Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Rugrats Movie(1998)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
The Christmas Story Keepers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
A Rugrats Chanukah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Rugrats(1991)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Career shape
A full career of 16 titles from 1991 to 2022.
Biggest box office
Shrek 2 (2004)
Highest rated
Shrek 2 (2004)
Most popular right now
The Smurfs 2 (2013)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
Nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1997, Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less).
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do J. David Stem's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 22nd percentile, the median of all 12; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 29th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th7
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 13 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed9
Reviewers score the dialogue 46/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is J. David Stem's work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does J. David Stem work with?
People who share at least 2 of J. David Stem's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David N. Weiss shares the most, 10.
Directors
- Raja GosnellShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Raja Gosnell
Writers
- David N. WeissShared titles: Disenchanted (2022), The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011), Daddy Day Camp (2007), Are We There Yet? (2005), Shrek 2 (2004), Clockstoppers (2002), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Rugrats in Paris (2000), The Rugrats Movie (1998)See all 10 shared titles with David N. Weiss
- David RonnShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with David Ronn
- Jay ScherickShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Jay Scherick
- PeyoShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Peyo
Actors
- Jayma MaysShared titles: Disenchanted (2022), The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Jayma Mays
- Hank AzariaShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Hank Azaria
- Katy PerryShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Katy Perry
- Neil Patrick HarrisShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Neil Patrick Harris
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Heitor PereiraShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Heitor Pereira
- Phil MeheuxShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Phil Meheux
- Sabrina PliscoShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Sabrina Plisco
- John BryantShared titles: Rugrats in Paris (2000), The Rugrats Movie (1998)See all 2 shared titles with John Bryant
Producers
- Albie HechtShared titles: Clockstoppers (2002), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Rugrats in Paris (2000), The Rugrats Movie (1998)See all 4 shared titles with Albie Hecht
- Julia PistorShared titles: Clockstoppers (2002), Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001), Rugrats in Paris (2000), The Rugrats Movie (1998)See all 4 shared titles with Julia Pistor
- Ben HaberShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Ben Haber
- Ezra SwerdlowShared titles: The Smurfs 2 (2013), The Smurfs (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Ezra Swerdlow
Mixed roles
- Norton VirgienShared titles: Rugrats in Paris (2000), The Rugrats Movie (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Norton Virgien
