Latest in Skydance Animation

Shane 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…

Skydance and Paramount Pictures announced the release dates for two animated features today: Spellbound which will open worldwide on Nov. 11, 2022 and Luck on Feb. 18, 2022. Spellbound and Luck will be co-financed by Paramount. Luck reps the first title from Skydance Animation. President of Skydance Animation Holly…

Eight-time Oscar winning composer and lyricist Alan Menken is set to pen the music and score to Skydance Animation’s upcoming musical fantasy Spellbound.  Menken will team with lyricist and frequent collaborator Glenn Slater and music producer Chris Montan. Directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek, Shark Tale) and written by…

Live-action film production as we know it, from Jurassic World: Dominion to The Batman, remains shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, with myriad headaches involved in figuring out how exactly to return, from the possible elimination of group extras to paring down crew sizes. But throughout this entire COVID-19…

David Ellison's Skydance Media has acquired animation outfit Ilion Studios, formalizing its tie-up with the Spanish company beyond the initial partnership that was instigated back in 2017. The newly-launched Skydance Animation Madrid will act as a counterpart to Skydance's animation division in the U.S., with the…

Skydance Media Monday announced it’s acquired the animation unit of Madrid-based Ilion Studios, to form Skydance Animation Madrid. The financial terms of weren’t revealed. Skydance, founded by David Ellison in 2010, said the deak “combines the creative capital of Skydance with Ilion's best-in-class talent” and gives…

Emma Thompson said she left her voice-over role in Skydance Animation’s upcoming film Luck earlier this month because she didn’t want to work for John Lasseter. The Oscar-winning actor-producer has elaborated on her thoughts with a pointed letter that was published today in the Los Angeles Times, aimed directly at…

Deadline has confirmed that two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson is backing out of her voiceover role on the upcoming Skydance Animation movie Luck due to concerns about working with the division’s head John Lasseter. The movie centers around the struggle between the organizations of bad luck and good luck, and…

EXCLUSIVE: We are hearing that Holly Edwards, who previously served as Skydance Animation’s Head of Production, is being promoted to the position of president of Skydance Animation. We understand that John Lasseter, Head of Animation, made the announcement in an informal staff meeting, that both he and Skydance boss…

Reactions among women’s advocacy groups in Hollywood was swift after last week’s news that John Lasseter had been hired to run David Ellison’s Skydance Animation, this after the creative force behind Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios was forced to exit Disney because of accusations of sexual misconduct over the…

EXCLUSIVE: Another Skydance Animation town hall was held this morning, this time with the division’s new boss John Lasseter. We hear it ran an hour and half and was very emotional, with a red-faced Lasseter expressing to the 65-person team how he’s ready to turn a corner in treating women properly and creating a safe…

EXCLUSIVE: Three town halls were held yesterday at Skydance Media regarding the studio’s hiring of former Walt Disney Animation/Pixar boss John Lasseter, and we understand from sources that CEO David Ellison made it clear to staff that if there’s any missteps with the former executive, who was accused of sexual…