Gutierrez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. He began his career working on various animated television shows in Mexico, including El Chavo del Ocho and Los Super Amigos. He later moved to the United States, where he worked as a storyboard artist on the Nickelodeon show Rugrats.
In 2007, Gutierrez created El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, an animated television show about a young Latino superhero. The show was a critical and commercial success, and won several awards, including an Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production.
In 2014, Gutierrez directed The Book of Life, an animated film set in Mexico during the Day of the Dead. The film was a critical and commercial success, and won
