Who Will Take Over for Lasseter at WDAS?

[Disney's Divinity]

Well, when you have a "face" for the company, the face takes on all the discontent about the company the way Eisner, Lasseter, and Chapek did. Better to fade into the background that attract attention in that kind of job.

What a shame Frozen III and Zootopia 2 could still be 4.5 and 3.5 years (respectively) away.

[Kyle]

How is that a shame, we don't need any of these sequels.

[Farerb]

How is that a shame, we don't need any of these sequels.

I actually don't mind these sequels.

[Disney's Divinity]

I would feel the same way if it was a sequel to something I didn't like, I guess. I mean, a WIR3 or BH6-2, those would be awful. Zootopia on the other hand is a story I like that I also think would actually be well-suited for sequels considering it's a cop mystery of sorts. And while fairy tales are much less well-suited to sequels, I did end up enjoying Frozen II overall.

[Kyle]

I'm not against these sequels on principal, but these things take like 5 years to make, and they take up the slot of other new ip they could be doing, or even sequels like the incredibles which could be more fun (at least imo)

[Disney's Divinity]

I would've been more interested in Incredibles sequels if the second one had jumped in time a little. Following directly after the first one, eh... I was left mostly unsatisfied by it, personally.

I would think sequels would take less time considering they can re-use models / backgrounds? I mean, of course a lot of new characters and locations will have to be built, too. Frozen II for example was mostly in none of the same environments, but you'd think a Zootopia sequel would still remain in that film's city which should give them a lot to work with right away?

I almost wonder if sequels to the 3D films could also have another purpose (besides $$$, I mean) in giving Disney a way to "restore" the older 3D films down the line to prevent some of them looking "out-of-date" and aging hard as time goes by. A new model of the same characters they can re-purpose in the old films for new Blu-ray releases 5-10 years from now, for example?

[Farerb]

I'm not against these sequels on principal, but these things take like 5 years to make, and they take up the slot of other new ip they could be doing, or even sequels like the incredibles which could be more fun (at least imo)

I don't think Pixar will make Incredibles 3 without Brad Bird and currently he's making Ray Gunn. Not sure he'll ever return to Pixar.

I get what your saying about sequels vs original films, but I personally don't find their original films to be truly "original". I can tell you that before Frozen II, I actually was against the idea that Disney Animation would do sequels, mainly because they are cash grabs (Bob Iger literally admitted that) and antithetical to Disney.

However, after that and all these years of the terrible DTVs or the horrendous remakes, I kind of learned to just ignore them at some point, for me Pirates of the Caribbean is a standalone movie, Mary Poppins and Enchanted don't really have sequels, Beauty and the Beast doesn't have DTVs or a remake. They technically exist but they don't really exist for me since I never revisit them or care about them.

I think that when you have a highly appreciated film series like Toy Story, there's a risk of devaluing it anytime they add a new sequel. Hopefully it doesn't happen, but if it does then I can just end it at Toy Story 3.

Frozen and Zootopia don't have as much appreciation as Toy Story does, and Frozen already had the mediocre sequel and terrible Olaf shorts so if the third one is terrible, what's the damage? Zootopia hasn't aged well to me, and the sequel will be more of the same I guess, more of those terrible animal puns and botched social metaphors.

Another thing is that the original creative teams of both films will be the ones who will do the sequels, so if they want to take that risk then that's okay by me. The DTVs and the remakes had different creative teams that just messed up with creations that don't really belong to them. That's why I'm much more opposed to Tiana and Moana TV shows, but I've accepted them as long as they remain TV shows.

[Sotiris]

Disney Create 100: Jennifer Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoHnOVqNVNw

Jennifer Lee on the Future of Disney Animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrPMZ_BJJ9E

[Sotiris]

There are currently ten projects (I assume films or series, not shorts) in development at WDAS.

Q: As we celebrate Disney’s past with its 100th anniversary this year, let’s chat about its future. Where do you want to take Disney Animation?

Jennifer Lee: We are working on so many exciting new, original projects we hope to share soon as well as the continuations of stories from characters and worlds we love like Zootopia and Frozen. We have about ten projects currently in development, and each of them is so exciting.

Source: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/jennif ... animation/

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

We know 4 movies of the 10 projects are Suzi Yoonessi’s movie that’s due out next year, Zootopia 2, and Frozen 3 & 4.

On Disney Plus, we have Iwaju, Tiana, and Moana:The Series, for 2024 & 2025.

What are the other 3 projects in the works?

I can only think of The Search For Mickey Mouse in 2028, Encanto 2 in 2029, and Prep & Landing 3 for ABC and Disney+ in Xmas 2029.

[Sotiris]

The Story Trust has been updated again. Halima Hudson has been added while Stella Meghie has been removed since last time.

Jennifer Lee
Chris Buck
Jared Bush
Trent Correy
David G. Derrick Jr.
Everett Downing Jr.
Japheth Gordon
Don Hall
Byron Howard
Halima Hudson
Jessica Julius
Chelsea Marcantel
Elissa Matsueda
Allison Moore
Ziki Nelson
Qui Nguyen
Joyce Sherri
Marc E. Smith
Josie Trinidad
Fawn Veerasunthorn
Suzi Yoonessi

[Sotiris]

This is merely rumor and gossip, so take it with a grain of salt.

When asked about Jennifer Lee, many former Disney artists spoke about Lee’s management style, especially regarding how she formed her teams. They felt that, ultimately, you were either “with Lee” or “against Lee” in her mind. When interacting with her, you knew right away if she liked you or not. If she liked you, she would listen to you and give you the best scenes to work on. If you got on her bad side, you were given the crappy assignments, which rarely involved character animation and often consisted of environmental animation or quick scenelets slipped in between significant scenes. It didn’t matter how many years you had been with the company or how many features you worked on in the past; it ultimately boiled down to whether Jennifer Lee liked you or not.

Sources describe Lee as very cunning in how she conducted herself with those on her s**t list. If you could get a conversation in with her, she would nod and acknowledge you, and then end the conversation quickly. Then, in a typically passive-aggressive move, she would have you taken off the project for being a “problem.” This happened to many veteran talents who dared to express their opinion, particularly in matters of how things used to be.

Source: https://filmthreat.com/features/the-d-f ... th-wish/2/

[Jules]

Ended up reading the entire "D-Files" series, Sotiris.

I suppose the articles are indeed gossip, but I have a weird feeling in my stomach that they are true. Or maybe the story is exaggerated, but still based on fact. Who knows?

All I know is that reading it made me want to vomit, so God willing it is as fictional as the Three Good Fairies.

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

This is merely rumor and gossip, so take it with a grain of salt.

When asked about Jennifer Lee, many former Disney artists spoke about Lee’s management style, especially regarding how she formed her teams. They felt that, ultimately, you were either “with Lee” or “against Lee” in her mind. When interacting with her, you knew right away if she liked you or not. If she liked you, she would listen to you and give you the best scenes to work on. If you got on her bad side, you were given the crappy assignments, which rarely involved character animation and often consisted of environmental animation or quick scenelets slipped in between significant scenes. It didn’t matter how many years you had been with the company or how many features you worked on in the past; it ultimately boiled down to whether Jennifer Lee liked you or not.

Sources describe Lee as very cunning in how she conducted herself with those on her s**t list. If you could get a conversation in with her, she would nod and acknowledge you, and then end the conversation quickly. Then, in a typically passive-aggressive move, she would have you taken off the project for being a “problem.” This happened to many veteran talents who dared to express their opinion, particularly in matters of how things used to be.

Source: https://filmthreat.com/features/the-d-f ... th-wish/2/

I don’t buy this at all. This is who most would claim John Lasseter would be, not Jennifer Lee. It sounds like more made up lies to try and frame her as a bad person. No. Sorry, I don’t buy this. I also take with a huge grain of salt and I feel this is just a lie-filled article made to hate on Jennifer Lee because she’s a woman.

[Sotiris]

I personally don't trust The DisInsider, but I thought to post this, anyway.

Q: Do you know of any animated movies that have not been publicly announced yet that you can tease?

Skyler Shuler: All I know as of now, a new princess project movie is in early development, as is a Pirates project (not sure if that is Pirates of the Caribbean, which at one point I did hear, or an all-new original project).

Source: https://thedisinsider.com/2024/05/23/th ... tes-moana/

I have heard Disney Animation is doing a new princess movie set in India.

Source: https://thedisinsider.com/2024/06/05/th ... christmas/

Q: Is Disney Animation making more 2D/3D hybrid animation movies?

Skyler Shuler: Disney Animation has a 2D project in the works. The studio is looking at new ways to tell stories on the animation side, so I would imagine that is a combination of the two.

Source: https://boardwalktimes.net/the-disinsid ... 88321fb149

[Farerb]

Jared Bush Named Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer; Jennifer Lee Returns To Filmmaking With ‘Frozen 3’ & ‘Frozen 4’
https://deadline.com/2024/09/disney-fro ... 236094164/

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

Huh.

Unexpected.

I was wondering if Clark Spencer would get the gig.

I hope Bush is someone who will try his best to bring back hand-drawn animation at Disney for large-scale projects and is someone who doesn’t have any skeletons in his closet like John Lasseter did.

[Sotiris]

Wow. They actually demoted her. I didn't see that coming. I know she produced many flops during her tenure like Raya, Strange World, and Wish, but I didn't believe she'd actually get jettisoned from the role given the optics of her being the 1st female head of the studio. I find it funny Disney's trying to pretend this was her decision. Does anyone actually buy that?

I'm not very enthused about Jared taking over. He's not been at the studio for that long and in my opinion the work he has produced for Disney doesn't really earn him the position. I would have preferred the spot was given to someone with more experience and who's more closely tied to Disney's legacy like Chris Buck or Byron Howard.

[PatrickvD]

I mean, I was expecting this sooner or later. I think she’s a pretty good filmmaker and she’s probably better suited as part of the story trust. She seemed a bit in over her head and lost during her time as CCO. And Wish plus the awkward Moana 2 switch from TV to theatrical just made me think the studio was in a chaotic state.

The issue with Jared Bush is that we just don’t know so much about him. He should be given the benefit of the doubt to be honest.

Let’s see how this unfolds.

[PatchofBlue]

You know what goes a long way to stabilizing a studio in chaos?

Shaking things up even more ...

Oh, well. I suppose things could be worse. They're not mad enough at Lee to boot her out of the studio altogether. I agree it feels like there are other faces at Disney who seem like more natural choices, but I can have an open mind about these things, and I genuinely hope Bush thrives in this new position.