Jennifer Lee en Pete Docter vervangen John Lasseter bij Disney

In navolging van het bericht eerder deze maand dat John Lasseter aan het eind van het jaar officieel zal vertrekken bij Pixar en The Walt Disney Company, heeft Walt Disney Studios aangekondigd dat Jennifer Lee Chief Creative Officer zal worden voor Walt Disney Animation Studios en dat Pete Docter is benoemd tot Chief Creative Officer, Pixar Animation Studios.

Alan Horn, Chairman van The Walt Disney Studios, vertelde:

“Jennifer Lee and Pete Docter  two of the most gifted filmmakers and storytellers I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Pete, the genius creative force behind Up, Inside Out, and Monsters, Inc., has been an integral part of Pixar almost since the beginning and is a huge part of its industry-leading success. Jenn, in bringing her bold vision to the boundary-breaking Frozen, has helped infuse Disney Animation with a new and exciting perspective. Each of them embodies the unique spirit, culture, and values of these renowned animation studios, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have them to lead us into the future.”

Jennifer Lee startte in 2011 Walt Disney Animation Studios als medeschrijfster van Wreck-It Ralph. Ze is de regisseur en schrijver van Frozen, welke een Academy Award won voor Best Animated Feature. Lee speelde een cruciale rol bij het verhaal van Zootopia en werkt momenteel aan Frozen 2. Lee zei:

“I am deeply grateful to everyone at Walt Disney Animation Studios and The Walt Disney Company for this opportunity. Animation is the most collaborative art form in the world, and it is with the partnership of my fellow filmmakers, artists, and innovators that we look ahead to the future. My hope is to support the incredible talent we have, find new voices, and work together to tell original stories. The great films of Disney Animation – the films I loved as a kid and my daughter has grown up loving – are magical, timeless, and full of heart, and it is our goal to create films that carry on and grow this 95-year legacy for future generations.”

Pixar veteraan Pete Docter is de regisseur en schrijver van Up enInside Out, welke beide een Academy Award wonnen voor Best Animated Feature. Docter was een van de eerste werknemers van Pixar, toen hij in 1990 startte bij de studio. Docter vertelde:

“I am excited and humbled to be asked to take on this role. It is not something I take lightly; making films at Pixar has been my chronic obsession since I started here 28 years ago. I am fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented people on the planet, and together we will keep pushing animation in new directions, using the latest technology to tell stories we hope will surprise and delight audiences around the world.”