John Leslie Coven (born August 27, 1958) is an American storyboard artist, film director, educator^[1] and the author of several comics and children's picture books.^[2][3] He is currently the director of the department of animated film at the Gobelins School of the Image in Paris, France.^[4][5]

Coven graduated in 1980 from The College of William and Mary in Virginia with a Bachelor of Science and from the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg, France with a diploma in illustration.^[6] He began writing and illustrating children’s books while completing his studies.^[7] His first book was published in France by Galllimard.^[8][3]

His career as a storyboard artist started in Hollywood in the 1990s and spans more than three decades and includes over 80 feature films^[9] such as the blockbusters The Lion King, Jurassic World, Venom, Logan, Captain America: Civil War, and the X-Men.^[10]

In 1995, Coven became a member of the Art Directors Guild,^[11] and began teaching storyboarding, illustration and filmmaking in various Art Schools around the world such as the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, l' École Emile Cohl and the Atelier de Sèvres in France as well as animation schools such as the Gobelins School of the Image in Paris, France and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.^[12]

In 2022, Coven became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences;^[13][14] in the same year, he was appointed director of the department of animated film at Gobelins School of the Image in Paris, France.^[9]