John Lasseter: Celebs Rumors

Why do I exist? What’s the point of being alive? What comes after?” A.O. Scott wrote in the New York Times. “’Soul’ tries, within the imperatives of branded commercial entertainment, to carve out an identity for itself as something other than a blockbuster or a technologically revolutionary masterpiece.

Netflix has confirmed some news: some fan favorite hits are returning this year that we previously didn’t realize would be debuting in 2024!

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer The long-awaited “Squid Game” Season 2 is set to premiere later this year. Netflix announced the-second season debut plans in a letter to shareholders Tuesday, writing: “Looking ahead, despite last year’s strikes pushing back the launch of some titles, we have a big, boldslate for 2024.

Ground-breaking French-Iranian sales agent and producer Hengameh Panahi, who represented a myriad of renowned Cannes and Venice prize-winning auteur directors, has died at the age of 67.

Valerie Wu Intern Skybound Entertainment, the company behind animated TV series “Invincible,” has acquired the historic Spike & Mike’s animation events, with plans for a revival. Marge Dean, head of studio at Skybound Entertainment, announced the news at Toronto’s Animation Industry Conference (TAAFI) on Saturday. Spike & Mike began in the 1970s as a curator of animated shorts.

That didn’t take long. Skydance Animation has found a new home, signing a multi-year agreement with Netflix to develop and produce animated movies to be released directly on Netflix. This deal means Skydance’s full existing animated feature slate will be released exclusively on Netflix.

Skydance Animation has found a new home at Netflix, ending a lucrative distribution pact with Apple Studios. Skydance Animation, run by John Lasseter with president Holly Edwards, will now exclusively release its animated movies directly to Netflix in an arrangement that will span multiple years, with the studios’ existing slate also moving exclusively to the streamer.

Skydance Media CEO David Ellison called the creative process a “community” where “both sides of this disagreement actually need one another to move forward. So, my hope is that we can find a path to compromise so that everybody can get back to work and we can position ourselves for success going forward.”

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Barbie” is a box office smash, along with its acclaim from critics and audiences alike. If you follow the social media chatter and the general feeling from most pundits, it could be a viable awards contender for Warner Bros. One category being debated is where the screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach would be able to compete — whether in original or adapted screenplay. The answer lies in how the WGA classifies it and whether the Academy could or would overrule that choice. Variety confirms there are ongoing conversations with strategists and Warner Bros regarding where “Barbie” would compete at next year’s ceremony. On the title cards, it reads “Based on ‘Barbie’ by Mattel,” which is, of course, a toy company. At the same time, there have been multiple CGI films and TV series featuring the fashion doll since its debut in the late 1980s (42 to be precise). This would point to an “adapted” run. However, take the case of Pixar’s inaugural feature “Toy Story” (1995), which picked up an original screenplay nom (Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Joe Ranft). In that case, it offers a pathway for original. The CGI classic features characters such as Mr. Potato Head, a Hasbro product, and other toys such as Etch A Sketch, Magic 8 Ball and even parts of Barbie herself. Part of the Mutant Toys, which are creations of Andy’s sadistic kid neighbor Sid, he has one called “Legs” — which are a pair of Barbie doll legs attached to a green toy fishing rod.

There is a lot riding on Vicky Jenson’s upcoming musical animation Spellbound about a princess on a mission to reverse a spell that has transformed her beloved king and queen parents into rampaging monsters.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. Jason Henkel came to Los Angeles in 1993 to pursue an acting career, before he pivoted to working in animation production. But his experiences as a performer helped show him the kind of casting director he didn’t want to be. “I didn’t want to go into a field where I secretly felt, ‘I could do this better,’” he says. “And from the moment I became involved with voiceover, watching these amazing actors who were so great at manipulating their voices, I knew I could never do what they do.”

EXCLUSIVE: We’ve been hearing for some time that former Skydance President of Animation and DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke is in talks for the top Warner Bros Animation feature position. It’s not a done deal yet, and last we heard both sides were far apart. But it sounds like talks have heated up.

“Coraline,” since it was the last feature project that Selick completed, is as good a place as any to start when it comes to explaining where the director has been for the past decade. Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, “Coraline” was released in February 2009.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticFull disclosure: I don’t believe in luck, but I do believe that “Luck” — the first feature-length toon from David Ellison-backed Skydance Animation — represents a force for good in the world. It’s not easy developing both a pipeline and a project that could compete with the Disneys and DreamWorks out there.

The original Buzz Lightyear has finally spoken about the controversy over Chris Evans voicing the main character in Disney/Pixar’s Lightyear origin story.

told Extra. But the actor’s claim that “a whole new team” created “Lightyear” is, perhaps unsurprisingly, categorically untrue. Angus MacLane, who co-wrote and directed “Lightyear,” has been at Pixar for many years.

Apple and Skydance have unveiled the voice cast for their upcoming animated musical film “Spellbound,” adding Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem to lead the cast alongside the previously announced Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”). Vicky Jenson (“Shrek”) is directing “Spellbound.” Additional cast includes John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, André De Shields and Jordan Fisher. Kidman will voice the role of Ellsmere, Lumbria’s kind and just queen; Bardem will voice Solon, the boastful and big-hearted king.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterNicole Kidman and Javier Bardem will lend their voices to “Spellbound,” an animated fantasy musical from Apple Studios and Skydance Animation. The project reunites the pair, who just scored Oscar nominations for playing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin’s 2021 biographical drama “Being the Ricardos.”John Lithgow, Nathan Lane, Jenifer Lewis, André De Shields and Jordan Fisher have also joined the call sheet.As previously announced, “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler is leading the cast as Princess Ellian, a young royal who embarks on a daring journey to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms them into monsters and threatens to cover Lumbria in darkness forever.

The animated film Spellbound led by West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler has expanded its voice cast, with the Being the Ricardos duo of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem signing on for roles, along with John Lithgow (Killers of the Flower Moon), Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building), Jenifer Lewis (I Love That for You), André De Shields (tick, tick… BOOM!) and Jordan Fisher (The Flash).

There will always be an influx for animated features in the modern film landscape. 2D, 3D, stop-motion, or anywhere else on the spectrum.

Skydance Animation has set a multi-year licensing deal with Spin Master, the children’s entertainment company known for creating popular properties like PAW Patrol.

Skydance Animation has landed another major talent.Rich Moore, director of “Zootopia,” “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” is joining the team in an exclusive, multi-year overall deal. Under the new pact, Moore will create, develop and produce original animated features for the studio.

Bao, a Pixar short in which a woman’s bao bun lunch comes to life and grows from an adorable dumpling into a surly steamed-up teenager. It was an allegory for motherhood. Following the film’s warm reception (it eventually won the Oscar for Best Animated Short), her Pixar colleagues asked her to pitch ideas for a feature.

Director Brad Bird is returning to animated feature films, but won’t be heading back to Pixar. Bird previously worked with the Disney-owned animation house leading two Best Animated Feature Oscars for his work on “Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” According to Deadline, Bird is teaming up with disgraced former Pixar head John Lasseter and Skydance Animation for an original feature film, “Ray Gunn” that the filmmaker will direct from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins.

Pixar no more.Brad Bird, the Academy Award-winning director of such Pixar favorites as “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” is reteaming with his former boss John Lasseter at Skydance Animation, on a new/old project “Ray Gunn.” Skydance Animation announced today.“Ray Gunn,” which Bird and Matthew Robbins wrote when Bird was at Warner Bros. Animation in the 1990s, is a retro-futuristic detective story set in “the sprawling, magnificent city of Metropia,” according to a 1996 script’s forward, written by Bird.

EXCLUSIVE: Skydance Animation has scored a major coup by acquiring the rights to make Ray Gunn. That will be the next animated film by writer/director Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning Pixar fixture who made The Incredibles films, Ratatouille, and The Iron Giant, as well as the live action Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. He will direct and produce the film from an original story by him. Bird wrote the script with Matthew Robbins.

Wyatte Grantham-Philips editorDisney and Pixar have released a new trailer for “Lightyear,” the origin story of “Toy Story’s” beloved Buzz Lightyear.The film introduces the “real-life” (or human) space ranger that inspired the toy line seen in the Pixar franchise. The animated sci-fi feature, which stars Chris Evans as the voice of Buzz, is set to come to theaters June 17.“Animated movie[s] were an enormous part of my childhood. They were my escape.

She joins previously announced cast member Jane Fonda in the collaboration between Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation.Peggy Holmes (“Secret of the Wings”) is directing the film written by Kiel Murray (“Cars”).

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterFollowing Variety‘s exclusive report in December, Apple is officially announcing its multi-year content partnership with David Ellison’s Skydance Animation.The agreement, which includes the previously announced feature films “Luck” and “Spellbound,” will also include what Apple billed as “first-ever theatrical-quality animated television series” for Apple TV Plus subscribers.Skydance Animation is a division of Ellison’s Skydance Media, which is run by John Lasseter and president Holly Edwards.

Skydance Animation has been in prolonged conversations with Apple to sell two John Lasseter-produced titles, “Luck” and “Spellbound,” multiple insiders with knowledge of the discussions told Variety.The two films would anchor what sources called a larger agreement between David Ellison’s animation division and the streamer, which has yet to be reached. WME is also said to be involved in the negotiations.The films had been set up at Paramount Pictures, where Skydance enjoys a lucrative partnership on the “Mission: Impossible” franchise and the upcoming “Top Gun” sequel.

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorShane Prigmore, the animation veteran who has worked for Laika, DreamWorks Animation, Warner Bros and most recently at Walt Disney Television Animation, has been hired as SVP Development at Skydance Animation. He will be tasked with overseeing the creative development of all films and TV series on the studio’s production slate.That slate includes the upcoming feature filsm Luck, directed by Peggy Holmes, and Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson, both due in 2022; and Pookoo, written and directed by Nathan Greno.

Skydance and Paramount Pictures are continuing their partnership with the original animated musical Spellbound, which will hit theaters on Nov. 11, 2022.

In a sign of how much times have changed in the post-#MeToo era, a sight gag once deemed tame enough for a Pixar-produced children’s movie is being edited out over concerns it’s now seen as sexist and offensive.

By Jill Goldsmith

By Tom Grater