John Lasseter: Last News

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.

With all the behind-the-scenes makings of an animated classic, Spellbound features a talented voice cast and a can’t-miss creative team for a family movie with a whole lot of heart.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Is Skydance Media the forward-looking entity that Paramount Global needs right now to save the company? Ending months of M&A drama, Paramount Global and Skydance Media, David Ellison’s smaller media and production company, on Sunday announced a two-part transaction that will result in Skydance buying out Shari Redstone’s National Amusements Inc. and then merging with Paramount — to form what the Skydance team for now is calling “New Paramount.” About $6 billion of the money to fund the deal is coming from the family of Oracle founder Larry Ellison (David’s father), with about $2 billion from Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners private-equity investment firm.

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.

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

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).

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.

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.

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.