When veteran animator, John Lasseter, became the head of Skydance Media’s animation department, the newly-formed animation studio got some serious street credentials in the film world. Under his guidance, the studio has already released one animated short and one full-length feature film, with one full-length animated film on the way in 2023. With the acquisition of projects, like Search for WondLa, the best is yet to come for this new animation studio.
This post looks at some of the projects that Skydance has already released and offers a glimpse at what’s coming next for John Lasseter’s animation department.
Films Already Released by Skydance Animation
Blush
This short animated film brought together Lasseter and story artist, Joe Mateo, and was released on Apple TV+. The story follows an astronaut/ horticulturist who finds himself crash-landed on a dwarf planet.
Through his relationship with a bubbly pink-haired creature that he met on the planet, he can recover from his losses and find redemption on the new planet. Blush is a tug-at-the-heartstrings kind of movie that Mateo himself used to recover from the loss of his wife to breast cancer. The pink, ribbon-like hair even offers a subtle nod to the pink ribbon associated with the breast cancer support movement.
Luck
Luck tells the story of Sam Greenfield, an orphaned girl who can’t seem to catch a break. Her luck briefly changes when she comes into possession of a lucky penny and then reverses again when she loses the penny.
The remainder of the story follows Sam’s attempts at getting the penny back with the help of a talking black cat named Bob. The film features the voice talents of Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jane Fonda.
Films Coming in 2023
Spellbound
Set in the Kingdom of Lumbria, the animation studio’s second feature-length film, Spellbound, follows Princess Elian as she fights to break the spell that tore her kingdom apart.
Details about this animated musical are still scarce. However, what is known about Spellbound is enough to garner plenty of pre-movie hype.
The project includes heavy hitters, like Nicole Kidman as Queen Ellsmere, Javier Bardem as King Solon, West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler as Princess Elian, and of course, the considerable animation experience of John Lasseter.
He brings the skills he learned from working with such industry giants as LucasFilm, Pixar, and Disney. In light of that, the film has the potential to be an excellent addition to the canon of animated films.
Skydance Animation Movies in Pre-Production or Production
Ray Gunn and Pookoo
Ray Gunn from Brad Bird of The Incredibles 2 and The Iron Giant fame has an interesting premise. It combines the aesthetics of the Art Deco era with the gritty storytelling sensibilities of post-war pulp novels. At the moment, little is known about the upcoming SciFi animated film, but given Brad Bird’s previous films, it’s likely that this film will be as visually stunning as it is compelling.
Little is known about the film Pookoo, other than the fact that it’s set to be written and directed by Nathan Greno. Greno’s experience directing Tangled, makes Pookoo a film to keep an eye on.
Search for WondLa
Based on the book series written by Tony DiTerlizzi, Search for WondLa will find a home on Apple TV+. Lauren Montgomery has been tapped as the writer/ executive producer for the series, as has DiTerlizzi.
This SciFi kids series follows the story of Eva Nine, a girl who knows the world only through holograms, as she comes face-to-face with the world outside of the Sanctuary where she grew up. Her adventures promise to be interesting as she searches for a mythical land called WondLa and, along the way, meets other human beings for the first time in her short life.
Percy Jackson author, Rick Riordan, called the book “an irresistible adventure,” and the new TV series is likely to be just as much of an adventure as the story moves out of the realm of storybooks and onto TV.
Final Words
Since taking over the animation department of Skydance Animation, John Lasseter has facilitated some noteworthy projects, including Blush, Luck, and Spellbound for the animation study.
While the details about his future projects are still largely under wraps, they’ll likely be as noteworthy as all the stories that Skydance has released to date, given the animator’s long history in the animation industry.
