John Christian Wedge was born on March 20, 1957, in Binghamton, New York. Following his graduation from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, he pursued higher education at the State University of New York at Purchase, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film. Subsequently, he enrolled at Ohio State University, where he acquired a Master of Arts degree in computer graphics and art education.
Wedge's career as an effects artist began with his work on films such as Tron, released in 1982. In February 1987, he co-founded Blue Sky Studios alongside Carl Ludwig, Dr. Eugene Troubetzkoy, Alison Brown, David Brown, and Michael Ferraro. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the studio was responsible for creating visual effects for television commercials and films like "Alien Resurrection" (1997),"Star Trek: Insurrection" (1998),"Fight Club" (1999),and "Titan A.E." (2000).
In 1998, Wedge produced the short animated film "Bunny", which garnered him an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Following the success of his critically acclaimed feature film "Ice Age" (2002),Blue Sky Studios solidified its position as one of the top animation studios in the United States.