Skydance Animation has joined forces with Netflix in a new multiyear alliance following its years-long dalliance with its former partner, Apple, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. This transition comes soon after Netflix’s strategic shift in its animation division, as the company decided to scale down its internal department and shift focus to third-party content.
Following this significant realignment, Netflix will now be the exclusive release platform for several upcoming Skydance Animation’s projects, which were earlier associated with Apple TV+. The most anticipated among these is Spellbound, a film set to release in 2024. With a star-studded voice cast including Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, and Javier Bardem, and tunes penned by Disney maestro Alan Menkin, Spellbound promises an enthralling experience for audiences. The storyline revolves around Ellian, a spirited princess on a courageous mission to save her kingdom and family after an enigmatic spell turns her parents into monsters.
Directed by Vicky Jenson, with its score crafted by Academy Award winner Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater, the upcoming animated film has already garnered attention when it was previewed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Adding to Netflix’s roster are other Skydance projects like Pookoo expected to launch in 2025, directed by the creative mind behind Tangled, Nathan Greno. Pookoo is a comedic escapade portraying the adventures of a petite woodland being and a magnificent bird, two natural adversaries that undergo an unexpected role reversal, sending them on an unforgettable quest.
Moreover, the Netflix-Skydance collaboration will spotlight movies from animation legends like Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn, described as a fusion of classic 1930s sci-fi elements with inspirations from Buck Rogers and gritty pulp fiction. Bird, who is celebrated for his work in The Incredibles 2, had developed Ray Gunn as a passion project in collaboration with Matthew Robbins for Warner Bros. Animation back in the 90s. Also, in the pipeline is an unnamed Jack and the Beanstalk project directed by Zootopia’s Rich Moore, who had inked a deal with Skydance in 2017.
However, the deal is exclusive to animated movies. Skydance’s live-action arrangement with Apple remains. This means that while films like Spellbound and Pookoo will shift to Netflix, the animated series, The Search for WondLa, inspired by the children’s sci-fi book series of the same name, will continue its journey with Apple.
Behind the scenes, Skydance Animation is steered by industry stalwart John Lasseter, the ex-executive of Walt Disney Animation Studios and co-founder of Pixar Animations Studios. Having taken the reins in 2019, Lasseter has guided the studio through its endeavors, even though his departure from Disney was surrounded by allegations of misconduct in 2017.
While Netflix is contemplating job cuts in the animation department, it simultaneously celebrates the addition of close to 9 million new subscribers and is preparing for a price hike.
It’ll be interesting to the results of Netflix’s partnership with Skydance. The streaming giant has consistently produced commendable work in the past. Their first endeavor, Klaus, was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar. The platform’s latest partnership with Skydance Animation, with its base in Los Angeles and animation studio in Madrid, seems to be another masterstroke in ensuring a consistent supply of quality animated features, and this alliance might very well redefine the contours of the global animation landscape.
Speaking of Netflix, the streaming giant recently renewed Castlevania: Nocturne for a second season. Finally, it’s been said that Netflix is courting Rockstar Games to find a way to add GTA to its gaming library.
