In a short time, Skydance Animation and its legendary leader, John Lasseter, have established themselves among the top animation studios.
As the studio preps for the 2024 release of its latest animated film, complete with a star-studded cast and crew, it’s a good time to look back on Skydance Animation’s rapid rise.
Skydance Aims High From The Start
David Ellison formed Skydance Productions in 2006. In the beginning, it produced movies in conjunction with big-name studios. It began launching its films with True Grit, which dominated the award season by winning 10 Oscars. It became the highest-grossing Western of all time.
Skydance Television launched in 2013. It produced The Search for WondLa for Apple TV+. A $125 million deal with Apple TV+ led to a $125 million budget to create two animated feature-length films under John Lasseter.
John Lasseter is the head of animation for Skydance Animation and joined the studio in 2019. Lasseter has had a distinguished career and is a groundbreaking, award-winning animated filmmaker, having produced some of the world’s most beloved animated pictures for Disney and Pixar.
Skydance Animation’s Emergence as a Top Animation Studio
Skydance Animation opened in March 2017, fueled by a partnership with Ileon Animation Studios of Spain. Once Lasseter came on board, Skydance acquired Ileon, now known as Skydance Animation Madrid.
John Lasseter drives growth, operations, production, and strategy for Skydance Animation. He has overseen two major films for the studio—Luck and Spellbound—while negotiating streaming and toy deals to accompany both movies. The two films feature well-known cast members and characteristically charming Lasseter storylines.
Luck, released in August 2022, features the voice talent of Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Simon Pegg, and John Ratzenberger. It tells the story of the so-called unluckiest person in the world, Sam Greenfield, who finds herself in the Land of Luck, uniting magical creatures to turn her fate around.
Spellbound is slated for release in 2024. Directed by Oscar-winner Vicky Jenson, it tells the tale of Princess Ellian, whose kingdom has been split in two.
It features a powerhouse voice cast, led by Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Nathan Lane, Jenifer Lewis, John Lithgow, and Tituss Burgess. The musical score was composed by legendary composer Alan Menken.
At the recent Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Jensen presented several Menken songs from Spellbound.
Both Luck and a previously produced animated short, Blush, are now streaming.
John Lasseter’s Storied Career
Lasseter serves as a producer for both Skydance Animation features. For decades, he has been one of animation’s leading figures.
He was among the founders of the Pixar Graphics Group and later served as chief creative officer for Pixar and Walt Disney Feature Animation after Disney purchased Pixar.
Lasseter has been a guiding force, serving as the producer and/or director for some of the most beloved animated films of all time. His work was behind A Bug’s Life, Cars, Cars 2, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Up, and WALL-E.
He has won two Academy Awards, including Animated Short Film (Tin Toy) and a Special Achievement Award (Toy Story).
Recently, Skydance Animation and Lasseter have recruited an array of former Disney and Pixar talent to join the studio. They include:
- Rich Moore, has an exclusive multiyear deal to develop and produce features for Skydance Animation. He won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature for Zootopia and Emmy Awards for The Simpsons and Futurama.
- Brad Bird, collaborated with Lasseter in writing The Incredibles, The Incredibles 2, and Ratatouille. Skydance Animation will produce Bird’s Ray Gunn.
- Alan Menken, the composer and songwriter, contributes the musical score for Spellbound and is an eight-time Oscar winner. He also won 11 Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Daytime Emmy.
The extraordinary trajectory of Skydance Animation, led by John Lasseter, is sure to continue producing hit films for years to come.