In October 2023, Skydance Animation shook up the industry when it announced it would be decamping from a 2020 deal with Apple Studios for streaming giant Netflix. New movies that Skydance Animation produced, including by filmmakers like Nathen Greno (Disney’s “Tangled”), Brad Bird (Pixar’s “Incredibles” films) and Rich Moore (Disney’s “Wreck-It Ralph” and “Zootopia”) would now bow exclusively on Netflix.
According to several individuals with knowledge of the deal, the idea was that, over time, as much as half of Netflix’s original animated feature output would be Skydance Animation productions. But the arrangement has frustrated in-house Netflix Animation filmmakers. And while some insiders suggested to TheWrap that Dan Lin, who took over from outgoing film chairman Scott Stuber earlier this year, was unhappy with the deal, others familiar with the matter said that Lin and Skydance Animation chief John Lasseter are in regular conversation about the upcoming animation slate.