The first quarter of 2022 has seen a wave of departures from Pixar and Disney, with many of their top creative talents finding a new home with Skydance Animation and John Lasseter. Some of the most noteworthy new hires and contractors include directors Brad Bird and Rich Moore and composer Alan Menken.
Here is a closer look at some of the biggest names formerly at Disney who have found a new home at Skydance Animation.
Brad Bird Moves to Skydance Animation for Production of Ray Gunn
In March, John Lasseter’s Skydance Animation announced it had acquired Brad Bird’s feature-length film Ray Gunn. For over a decade, Brad Bird has delighted audiences of all ages with animated storytelling in pictures like The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. Bird has commented on Skydance granting him the artistic freedom to combine a pre-WWII aesthetic with a futuristic view. Commented Brad Bird to Cultural Daily:
“Ray Gunn is set in an ART DECO future where everything in sight is streamlined within an inch of its life. Cities shine like gargantuan jewels that stretch into the heavens. Flying cars streaming through the sky transport the citizens of this future world where creatures from other planets have joined the melting pot, but holograms are only in black and white.”
“I set out to combine two disparate worlds from the same period: the squeaky clean appearance of Buck Rogers and the gritty, contemporary but been-around characters from pulp novels.”
Ray Gunn is a feature film 30 years in the making. Brad Bird originally developed the story as a hand-drawn film at Turner Studios in the 1990s. Considered too far ahead of its time, the dark, intelligent story languished for decades until John Lasseter confirmed that the film had reached its time.
Brad Bird has worked as a screenwriter, animator, voice actor, director, and producer of both animated and live-action films over a career spanning 40 years. This will be the Academy Award winner’s first animated film since The Incredibles 2 in 2018.
Rich Moore Enters Multi-Year, Exclusive Contract with Skydance Animation
Skydance Animation has announced an exclusive, multi-year deal with Rich Moore, where he will not only produce but also create and develop animated features. The deal reunites Moore with John Lasseter after their collaboration on several Disney films.
Rich Moore brings a distinguished career in animation to Skydance Animation. One of three directors of the perennial FOX favorite The Simpsons, Moore won a Primetime Emmy for directing “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment.” He also won an Emmy for the “Roswell that Ends Well” episode on Futurama.
Moore is also known for animating Zootopia, for which he won a “Best Animated Feature” Oscar in 2017. Moore also received Oscar nominations for Wreck-it Ralph and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Alan Menken Pens Score for Upcoming Skydance Animation Film Spellbound
Composer Alan Menken joined music producer Christ Montan (Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, The Little Mermaid) in crafting original songs for the upcoming release of Skydance Animation’s Spellbound. Menken comes to Skydance Animation not just as a composer but also as a conductor, music director, record producer, and songwriter, the mind behind some of television’s most popular scores. His accolades include eight Academy Awards, two each for his scores for Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Pocahontas. He has also garnered a Tony, seven Golden Globes, and a Daytime Emmy Award. He is one of only 16 people to achieve an EGOT, winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.
About John Lasseter
Animator, writer, director, and producer John Lasseter is widely celebrated in the animation industry. His love for animation began in childhood, when he drew comics for the church he attended with his mother. Pursuing his talent at the California Institute for the Arts, Lasseter began his career drawing for The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. Lasseter wrote Toy Story, the first full-length feature film shot by computer animation, moving on to work on some of the highest-grossing animated films in history, including Brave, Cars, Finding Nemo, and A Bug’s Life. Skydance Animation hired John Lasseter as head of animation in 2019.
