Skydance Animation to Work With Former All-Star Disney Team Members

Skydance Animation, which is a subsidiary of Skydance Media, continues to grow with new films and new hires. Viewers around the globe look forward to the next announcements by the top animation company. In Skydance Animation’s most recent news, Rich Moore, an Oscar-winning director, and writer have signed a multiyear deal where he will play an integral role in the development, creation, and production of animations. Moore will be joining Skydance Animation’s head of animation, John Lasseter. He is the former chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar.

Skydance Animation has also recently purchased “Ray Gunn,” an animated feature film, from Brad Bird. Bird is the visionary behind animated films such as “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles” and “The Iron Giant.” Bird has been entertaining audiences for years with his charming storytelling. Skydance director John Lasseter and his studio can bring new stories to an entirely new audience. While the details of “Ray Gunn” have been kept secret by Bird and fellow scriptwriter Matthew Robbins, they both said that this story is one that they have been telling for more than three decades.

In other news, Alan Menken, the legendary composer behind Disney classics such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Pocahontas” and “Tangled,” will compose original songs and the soundtrack for Skydance Animation’s animated feature “Spellbound.”

Rich Moore’s career

Rich Moore is an animator from the United States and a business partner at Rough Draft Studios. He was also one of three directors for Fox’s “The Simpsons” in his early career. Rich Moore spent 10 years of his life working for Walt Disney Animation. He worked on many features and was part of the Disney Story Trust. This trust advised on films such as “Frozen” and “Moana.” Lasseter was one of his most renowned animators and directors. Moore won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2017 for directing “Zootopia.”

Brad Bird’s career

After graduating from the California Institute of the Arts in 1989, Bird started working at Disney as an animator. He was an animator on “Amazing Stories,” “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill.” He made his feature directorial debut with “The Iron Giant,” which earned him a position at Pixar. This eventually brought him back under the Disney umbrella. Bird produced and directed “The Incredibles” as well as “Ratatouille.” He then moved to live-action directing and helmed “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.”

Alan Menken’s career

Menken is a film and theater composer and pianist. He composed the music for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.” He and Howard Ashman, his musical partner, were both named Disney Legends in 2001. Their plaques are displayed together at the Team Disney Michael D. Eisner Building. Menken has been nominated for 19 Academy Awards, winning four each for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

John Lasseter’s career

Lasseter was a child animator. After studying animation at the California Institute of Arts, he then went to Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men, where he met Bird and was hired as an animator by Disney. Lasseter worked alongside Bird on 2D animated films such as “The Fox and the Hound” and “The Black Cauldron.” He was also an adviser on U.S. Hiyao Miyazaki films such as “Porco Rosso” and “Castle in the Sky.”

Lasseter, Pixar’s founder, started an independent project in 1988. He created “Tin Toy,” his first animated short, which earned him an Academy Award. The first feature-length film with computer animation was “Toy Story.” This movie opened up the doors to great success for Pixar. Pixar and Disney collaborated on many animated films throughout the 1990s and into 2020. Lasseter was the chief creative officer at Pixar and other Disney studios. His animated films included “Finding Nemo,” “Brave,” “Frozen,” “Inside Out” and “A Bug’s Life.”

Lasseter was appointed Skydance’s head for animation in 2019. He continues to make compelling and captivating films. He’s been an animator, director, and producer as well as a screenwriter. His work has brought more than 100 of the most beloved stories in the world to life. He now has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.