If you’re a fan of animated movies, particularly Pixar, the name John Lasseter will mean something to you. For those unfamiliar with Lasseter, he changed the face of animation forever with his groundbreaking work on multiple animated films, starting with Toy Story.
Some would argue that Lasseter was single-handedly responsible for changing the way studios make animated movies. He championed using the most up-to-date computer technology to build human stories that have endured.
John Lasseter started work with Disney in the late seventies as an animator, eventually moving on to Pixar. His work at Pixar on some of the last 20 years’ most successful animated movies, including Frozen, Brave, Inside Out, WALL·E, Up, Cars, Finding Nemo, and A Bug’s Life established him as a visionary filmmaker.
Skydance Animation’s Meteoric Rise Under Lasseter
He brought that vision to Skydance Animation when he joined in 2019. With Holly Edwards, John Lasseter heads the newly combined entity of Skydance Animation Madrid and the U.S. headquarters. Since he arrived at Skydance, the company has grown from 65 to nearly 900 employees and signed a multiyear film and TV deal with Apple.
Skydance Animation emerged in 2017 as part of the Skydance group of companies founded in 2006 by David Ellison. Named after Ellison’s love of trick flying, Skydance Productions started producing films with major studios such as Paramount but soon transitioned to their productions, with their first being the seminal Cohen Brothers movie True Grit.
A Legacy of Awards and Achievements
Lasseter aims to accomplish at Skydance what he did at Pixar: Establish a world-class animation studio that makes groundbreaking films. With his track record of awards and accolades, it’s not an unrealistic dream. He has won two Academy Awards for his film Tin Toy, a special achievements award for Toy Story, the Lifetime Achievement award for animators, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but he’s not done yet.
Skydance Animation’s Recent Releases
In 2021, the studio released the short film Blush, a story about filmmaker Joe Mateo’s loss of his wife to cancer. Following this, the first film to emerge from the Apple deal was Luck. Released in 2022, Luck focuses on Sam Greenfield, a woman plagued by bad luck who goes on a magical journey to find and return a lucky penny.
The second film, Spellbound, a musical fantasy directed by Vicky Jenson, follows Princess Ellian as she fights to break a spell that has destroyed her kingdom. The film is set to be released on Apple TV+ in 2024 and is the work-in-progress feature at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Looking Ahead: Spellbound and the Future of Skydance Animation
In the ever-evolving world of animation, John Lasseter stands as a visionary force that continues to reshape the industry. From his early days at Disney to the groundbreaking years at Pixar, Lasseter’s commitment to storytelling and innovation has left an indelible mark on the world of animated cinema. As we look ahead to the upcoming release of Spellbound and the studio’s presence at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, it’s clear that the legacy of John Lasseter is far from over.
With a career studded with accolades and an unwavering passion for the art of animation, we can only anticipate more groundbreaking films and storytelling magic to come from Skydance Animation under Lasseter’s visionary guidance. Much like the stories it weaves, the animation world continues to evolve, and with Lasseter at the helm, the journey promises to be as exciting as ever.
