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'Wreck-It Ralph' Director Rich Moore Leaves Disney for Sony Pictures Animation
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat- ... on-1200160

Moore will be heading instead to Sony Pictures Animation, where he will be developing, producing and directing original animated features as well as acting in an “advisory capacity” for ongoing projects.

They gave him an offer that includes a lot of creative and personal freedom, so I'm not surprised he found it hard to resist.

From Slashfilm:

Sony Pictures Animation is currently basking in the afterglow of its Oscar win for the acclaimed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and is now gaining a reputation as a studio willing to give directors room to let their creativity roam free.

Back when Disney was the most celebrated animation studio, and for a while more or less the only studio, they didn't have to worry about other studios stealing their top talents. But changes are going on in the animation business.

On the plus side; there are now available positions at Disney, allowing new blood to enter the studio.

He won't direct Zootopia 2 then.

D82 wrote:He won't direct Zootopia 2 then.

Byron Howard might do it without him. Unless he leaves as well.

farerb wrote:Byron Howard might do it without him. Unless he leaves as well.

Yes, you're right. After all, if I'm not mistaken, Zootopia was his idea and at first he was going to be the only director. I hope he doesn't leave too. He's one of my favorite directors currently working at WDAS. I love Tangled and Zootopia, and in my opinion Bolt, though not as good, is a decent film too.

D82 wrote:

farerb wrote:Byron Howard might do it without him. Unless he leaves as well.

Yes, you're right. After all, if I'm not mistaken, Zootopia was his idea and at first he was going to be the only director. I hope he doesn't leave too. He's one of my favorite directors currently working at WDAS. I love Tangled and Zootopia, and in my opinion Bolt, though not as good, is a decent film too.

Be reassured, Byron won't leave.
And yes, Zootpia was at first HIS idea that he co-writed and co-directed mostly with Jared Bush.
Rich Moore came nearly by the end to help during the production itself.

I'm sad to see him go. He was the one who could get WDAS to try stuff outside their comfort zone.

I look forward to what he concocts at SPA.

His departure is for the best. He never understood what Disney is about and oftentimes his brand of storytelling clashed with the legacy of the studio. At a new studio like Sony he'll be more free to do his own thing.

Him leaving decreases the chance of a Wreck-It Ralph 3 dramatically, which is a good thing in my book. I wish he had left sooner before defiling the Disney Princesses, though to be fair he's not solely to blame for that.

Sotiris wrote:His departure is for the best. He never understood what Disney is about and oftentimes his brand of storytelling clashed with the legacy of the studio. At a new studio like Sony he'll be more free to do his own thing.

Him leaving decreases the chance of a Wreck-It Ralph 3 dramatically, which is a good thing in my book. I wish he had left sooner before defiling the Disney Princesses, though to be fair he's not solely to blame for that.

I agree. I feel like he didn't have any appreciation for the studio's legacy and only wanted to make fun of it and better made films than Wreck-it Ralph and its sequel.
I also had high hopes for Sony Animation after Spider-Man, but now not so much.

Prince Kido wrote:Be reassured, Byron won't leave.
And yes, Zootpia was at first HIS idea that he co-writed and co-directed mostly with Jared Bush.
Rich Moore came nearly by the end to help during the production itself.

I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for telling me and for confirming his involvement in Zootopia.

Sotiris wrote:His departure is for the best. He never understood what Disney is about and oftentimes his brand of storytelling clashed with the legacy of the studio. At a new studio like Sony he'll be more free to do his own thing.

Him leaving decreases the chance of a Wreck-It Ralph 3 dramatically, which is a good thing in my book. I wish he had left sooner before defiling the Disney Princesses, though to be fair he's not solely to blame for that.

I think he's a good director, but I agree that he's probably better suited to another studio. I can't say I'm too sad he's leaving. Up until Ralph Breaks the Internet I didn't have a problem with him bringing a bit of a different style to Disney, but I think he went a bit too far with his depiction of the princesses there. I agree he's not the only one to blame for it, but as the director he had the last word, so it's mostly his responsibility.

Wow! I can see Greno leaving WDAS after they canned Gigantic, but Moore, 4 months after Ralph breaks the Internet's release, leaves WDAS for Sony? Seems like a lot of they're animating Directors are going Don Bluth on them. Lack of Original content & way to many restrictions. For me, D23 this August is Put up or Shut up time for WDAS, either reveal some new projects, or just go away

If you look at Rich Moore's career, he likes to move around a lot. He left his cushy job directing The Simpsons to help get The Critic off the ground, for example. He was at Disney for almost ten years and Sony Animation is starting to attract some major talent, especially post-Spider Verse. A change in scenery can be good and creatively flowing for an animation director.

Rich Moore left Sony and has joined Lasseter's Skydance Animation.

Oscar Winner Rich Moore Strikes Overall Deal With Skydance Animation
https://deadline.com/2022/03/rich-moore ... 234980674/

Hmm, for a while I wasn't sure skydance could ever take off, but slowly but surely they seem to be siphoning talent that could make it so they can no longer be dismissed as easily just because of john. If they start putting out actual hits, it kinda puts those us us turned off by jons actions in a weird spot, because its not like all the employees share his views/behavior.

Well, I didn't like Ralph or its sequel, so not much of a loss... I did appreciate he utilized Menken in RBtI though.

Kyle wrote:Hmm, for a while I wasn't sure skydance could ever take off, but slowly but surely they seem to be siphoning talent that could make it so they can no longer be dismissed as easily just because of john. If they start putting out actual hits, it kinda puts those us us turned off by jons actions in a weird spot, because its not like all the employees share his views/behavior.

I agree with you. I hate that Skydance hired Lassiter without a thought on his behavior (Emma Thompson left a project and I know some women employees were upset over his hiring, understandably). But there were people working there before Lassiter was hired. The movies might even be good and worth seeing, but then we'd be supporting them, essentially saying with our money that his behavior was ok...sigh.

Talking about Skydance Animation's upcoming film in the Oscar thread made me remember I read on the Pixar Times forum that John Ratzenberger is voicing a character in it. They speculated there that that could be the reason why he hadn't had a cameo in the latest Pixar movies.

Neysa Bové, Lorelay Bové's sister, who has worked on the costumes for some of the latest WDAS films has also left Disney for Skydance, where she has been named Head of Costume Design for the studio.

Kyle wrote:Hmm, for a while I wasn't sure skydance could ever take off, but slowly but surely they seem to be siphoning talent that could make it so they can no longer be dismissed as easily just because of john.

Yeah, I also thought they might not be able to survive at first. When Emma Thompson left the project she was involved with, I thought other actors might follow suit and the studio would end up in the same situation as Woody Allen, for example, who can only find B-list actors for his movies now, or would be forced to replace Lasseter, but that didn't happen. Jane Fonda was the first to accept a job for the studio after Thompson's exit and since then actors like Whoopi Goldberg, Simon Pegg or Rachel Zegler, directors like Brad Bird or Rich Moore, or Alan Menken have done the same. And I suspect some of the artists who have left Disney or Pixar recently have also left for Skydance, even though it hasn't been announced yet.

One of the cases I was most surprised by was Brad Bird's, but mostly because I hadn't thought of that possibility. It actually makes sense he joined the studio given that he's friends with Lasseter since they were classmates at CalArts, and he owes a lot to him as he invited him to come to Pixar. I guess Lasseter has as made as many friends as enemies during his career and that's partly why he hasn't had worse consequences, but I'm surprised this is happening in the Time's Up and cancel culture era.

I think, especially in regards to the celebrities who aren't really in animation, it's because news in the animated field is sort of ignored by the general public because of the popular sentiment / condescension that animated films aren't "real" films, that they're lesser. I'd bet most people don't even know who John Lasseter is; you have to know something to boycott it. Personally, I'm just grateful Lasseter's poisonous influence is gone from WDAS (I can simply ignore Skydance). WDAS is finally starting to bloom again, imo. Even PIXAR is starting to pull me in after Luca and Turning Red in a row, which is shocking for me since I've always disliked most of their films. Maybe one day I'll even come to like *PIXAR*, now that it's free of the formulaic restraints Lasseter imposed on everything.

D82 wrote:Yeah, I also thought they might not be able to survive at first. When Emma Thompson left the project she was involved with, I thought other actors might follow suit and the studio would end up in the same situation as Woody Allen, for example, who can only find B-list actors for his movies now, or would be forced to replace Lasseter, but that didn't happen. Jane Fonda was the first to accept a job for the studio after Thompson's exit and since then actors like Whoopi Goldberg, Simon Pegg or Rachel Zegler, directors like Brad Bird or Rich Moore, or Alan Menken have done the same. And I suspect some of the artists who have left Disney or Pixar recently have also left for Skydance, even though it hasn't been announced yet.

I wonder why Musker and Clements didn't go to work there as well, like when they returned to Disney when he asked them to come back in 2006. I guess they really wanted to make that DC/Metal Men movie, which they couldn't have done at a different studio. But I prefer them at Warner, they could do well turning that studio into something great.

Disney's Divinity wrote:(I can simply ignore Skydance).

It will be harder to ignore skydance since they now have brad bird, jon lasseter, and rich moore.