Skydance Animation (a Skydance Media subsidiary) continues to expand, with new films, new hires, and new toy deals. Viewers all over the world are eager to see what the most prominent animation company will announce next. Skydance Animation announced the latest news that Rich Moore (the Oscar-winning director) has signed an exclusive multiyear deal. He will play a crucial role in creating, developing, and producing animated features. Moore will join Skydance Animation’s head of animation John Lasseter. Moore was a close collaborator with Lasseter during their earlier careers.

Skydance Animation recently acquired the movie, “Ray Gunn.”  Brad Bird is the visionary animator behind films like “Ratatouille” and “The Incredibles.” Bird has provided entertaining storytelling for audiences old and young for many years. Skydance’s director and studio combine their talents to tell new stories to a new generation. The details about “Ray Gunn” are kept private, but Bird and Matthew Robbins both claim that this story is one they have been nurturing for more than 30 years.

Alan Menken, the legendary composer behind Disney classics such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid” will compose original music and the score for Skydance Animation’s animated feature, “Spellbound.”

About Lasseter

John Lasseter studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts, after which he was assigned to Walt Disney’s Nine Old Men. It was there that he first met Bird. Lasseter was offered a permanent position as an animator at Disney and worked with Bird to create 2D animated films such as “The Fox and the Hound” and “The Black Cauldron.” He also worked as a consultant on U.S. Hayao Miyazaki films, including “Porco Rosso” and “Castle in the Sky.”

Lasseter embarked on an independent Pixar project in 1988 called “Tin Toy,” his first animated short. This won him an Academy Award. His next project was the well-received “Toy Story.” This film was the first feature film made using computer animation and opened the doors to many success stories for Pixar. Pixar was able to collaborate on numerous animated successes throughout the 1990s as well as in 2020. Lasseter was appointed chief executive officer of Pixar and various Disney studios. He was responsible for some of the most popular animated films, including “Finding Nemo,” “Brave,” “Frozen” and “WALL-E.”

Lasseter joined Skydance as the head of animation in 2019, and he continues to create captivating, compelling films. He has worked as an animator/director and as a producer/screenwriter, helping to bring more than 100 of the greatest stories to life. Fans can find his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

About Moore

Moore is an American animator. He also serves as a business partner at Rough Draft Studios. His earlier career saw him as one of three directors on Fox’s “The Simpsons.” Moore dedicated 10 years of his career to Walt Disney Animation. There, he worked with many features and was part of the Disney Story Trust. He advised on films such as “Frozen.” Moore won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for his 2017 film “Zootopia.”

About Bird

Bird was an animator at Disney after he graduated from the California Institute of the Arts. Bird worked on “Amazing Stories” and helped develop “The Simpsons.” He also worked on “King of the Hill.” Bird made his feature directorial debut with the critically acclaimed “The Iron Giant.” This earned him a job at Pixar, which eventually brought him back to the Disney fold. Bird directed and produced “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” Then, he ventured into live-action directing with “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.”

About Menken

Alan Menken is an American film composer and pianist. He was a composer for Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and in 2001, he was honored with the Disney Legends award.