Peter Lepeniotis (born 1965) is a Canadian animation director with Greek descent. He is probably best known for his 2005 animated short Surly Squirrel. He has adapted the short into a full length feature film, titled The Nut Job, in which Lepeniotis has co-written and directed. It was released theatrically in January 17, 2014 by Open Road Films and The Weinstein Company. Due to the film's successful opening weekend in the box office, Lepeniotis has green lighted a sequel The Nut Job 2, which is expected for a release in January 15, 2016. He will serve once again as director and co-writer of the sequel.