A few years ago Netflix had plans to compete with Disney in the animation field. They greenlit multiple animated projects that have gained critical acclaim such as 2019’s Klaus and 2022’s The Sea Beast. However, they have since downsized their inside animated output with multiple projects being either shelved or canceled. They now see that it is easier to instead pay exclusivity deals for outside work.
Now in the battle for animation superiority Netflix has teamed up with Skydance Animation after they parted ways with Apple TV+. The company had produced the 2022 animated film Luck which despite the hype wasn’t as we received as some had hoped. Apple then cut ties with the studio after their next film Spellbound was seen as not in line with Apple’s vision.
Skydance Animation is headed up by former Pixar Animation head John Lasseter who was forced to step down over alleged misconduct. Since his departure from Disney, the company has seen a major drop in quality from their film output, along with losing their long-time partnership with Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli.
In addition to 2024’s Spellbound (which is being directed by DreamWorks alumni Vicky Jenson), the company is developing multiple other films with well-known Disney and DreamWorks alumni.
– Pookoo (Directed by: Nathan Greno)
“A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of The Valley, that magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime.“
– Ray Gunn (Directed by: Brad Bird)
“This is an ART DECO future where everything is streamlined within an inch of its life, where cities are gargantuan jewels that stretch into the heavens, where flying cars stream through the sky, where creatures from other planets have joined the melting pot, and holograms are only in black and white.“
– Untiled Jack & the Bean Stalk Project (Directed by: Rich Moore)
Disney certainly has some competition on their hands. Largely competition of their own making. It will be some time before Skydance has a sizable library of films under their belt, but some of these projects honestly seem more exciting than some upcoming Disney/Pixar.
Sources: Cartoon Brew, What’s On Netflix
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