The Oscar-winning director of Toy Story 3 and Coco has left Pixar after 25 years. Is it me is Pixar losing a lot of creative talent lately? Darla K. Anderson recently left and Mark Andrews is also rumored to have left.
What's weird in this case is that Lee stated he won't be making films anymore.
The filmmaker informed Pixar employees on Friday of his decision. "I'm not leaving to make films at another studio; instead, I look forward to spending much-needed time with my family and pursuing interests that have long been back-burnered,” said Unkrich, 51, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. Sources say the departure is amicable, with Unkrich leaving on a high note: Coco made over $807 million worldwide and won the best animated feature Academy Award at the 2018 Oscar ceremonies. He is said not to have started on any new projects.
okay, now I'm a bit nervous. is he leaving before some new allegations or something? seems odd for him to retire at the height of his career, having just won Pixar yet another oscar with "Coco"...
^I hope not. But, yes, it's a bit surprising he's leaving the studio at this point of his career and not to work at another studio. I hope it's not due to health problems either.
Man, even if he's perfectly innocent this certainly doesn't look good. I hope he is, I thought he was one of the good ones. He even sent me a signed poster of rex.
I get if you’ve worked super hard for a long time, and we all know how long these movies can take....but you take a break surely, rather than straight up ‘retire’ so to speak ?
I hope it genuinely is for the reasons he has stated, but the timing is really suspicious I must admit.
Remember that unlike the other directors at Pixar, Unkrich didn't come to the studio with a background in animation. He was an editor of live-action productions and was initially hired to edit "Toy Story", then got promoted to director on subsequent films. Even on "Toy Story 3" and "Coco", he remained an editor on those films.
I'm obviously just theorising, but maybe he wants to take a break from animation and return to being a full-time film editor. Or maybe he wants to be a novelist or something. We don't know. I'm an optimist, so my mind doesn't immediately go to a dark place.
"There are two wolves and they are always fighting. One is darkness and despair. The other is light and hope. Which wolf wins? Whichever one you feed." - Casey Newton, Tomorrowland
Assuming there is nothing more suspicious involved and he simply wants to try something new in life, I would guess the doors at Pixar are still open for him if he ever wants to return. Brad Bird have entered and left a few times himself.
Unlike Lasseter, which will never be able to return.
That should leave only Pete Docter and Andrew Stanton as the only remaining members of the Braintrust.
