Scanlon was born in Michigan. He graduated with a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design in 1998.
Scanlon joined Pixar in 2001, where he was a story Artist for Cars and Toy Story 3. He co-directed the short film Mater and the Ghostlight. He illustrated part one of Unmentionables, a comic book written by his wife, Michele Scanlon, and wrote and directed the live-action feature film Tracy. Tracy was Scanlon's first feature film as a writer/director. He also served as a member of the senior creative team on 2012's Brave and 2015's Inside Out.
Scanlon directed the prequel film Monsters University, released in 2013.
