(Photo : Krists Luhaers from Unsplash)

On the heels of Skydance Animation's short film Blush and animated feature film Luck, the studio is following up with SpellBound, a dazzling animated feature film coming soon to Apple TV+. But rumor has it, John Lasseter's Skydance Animation has lots more up their sleeve for the next two years, including original animated projects such as Pookoo and Ray Gunn, not to mention two upcoming seasons of The Search for WondLA, all appearing on Apple TV+. Skydance Animation is a division of Skydance Media, known for titles such as Top Gun: Maverick and Mission Impossible-Fallout. In January 2019, the up-and-coming animation studio named John Lasseter (famous for his work at Disney/Pixar) as its head of animation. While at Disney/Pixar, Lasseter served as Chief Creative Officer, as well as Walt Disney Imagineering's Principal Creative Advisor. His legacy boasts accomplishments involving director credits on Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), A Bug's Life (1998), Cars (2006), and Cars 2 (2011). While at Disney/Pixar he also produced more than one hundred fantastically successful projects, including Frozen (2013), Zootopia (2016), Finding Dory (2016), and Incredibles 2 (2018), which each grossed over $1 billion.

Upon joining Skydance Animation, John Lasseter launched onto the scene with the animated short feature Blush (2021), a semi-autobiographical work for Apple TV+.  Blush tells the story of a horticulturist-astronaut who crash-lands on a planet on a distant, barren dwarf planet and must face his grim chances of survival until an enchanted, friendly creature arrives, causing the planet to thrive with lush flowers and vegetation. Joe Mateo, a former Disney story artist, says Blush was born from the tragedy of losing his wife to breast cancer. After suffering a panic attack and being unable to breathe, Mateo began thinking about a creative approach to coping with his grief, a story set on a planet where there is no breath and no possibility for life in the foreseeable future. Upon moving to Skydance, Mateo pitched the idea, as well as its inception, to John Lasseter. "John reinforced the story I wanted to tell," Mateo says, "And helped me elevate the core idea, being really clear and effective." Blush was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2022 Hollywood Critics Association Awards.

Skydance Animation stepped their game up a notch, delivering the animated feature film Luck in 2022, voiced by Hollywood all-stars such as Whoopi Goldberg, Jane Fonda, Simon Pegg, and John Ratzenberger. Luck centers around Sam Greenfield, an orphaned young woman with the worst luck. Absolutely nothing goes right for this girl. When Sam finds a lucky penny, her fortune begins to turn around just in time to help her friend Hazel get adopted. But upon accidentally flushing the penny down a toilet, Sam must go through a portal into the Land of Luck, where luck is both made and broken, and, ultimately, not at all what it seems. Luck premiered in Madrid on August 2, 2022, and was released from Apple Studios on Apple TV+, as well as select theatres in the United States on August 5, 2022. The film received praise for voice acting and animation and was nominated for Best Original Score at the 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

So, what's next for the rising star of animation? Skydance's second feature film Spellbound is well on its way to gracing the screens, though the production company is still keeping a release date under wraps. Skydance and Apple TV+ call the project a "magical adventure," and will say this much about the plot: Spellbound tells the story of Elian (voiced by Rachel Zegler), a teenager who comes of age using her magical powers to defend her family when the opposing forces of light and darkness threaten to divide her kingdom. As she journeys to rejoin the disparate pieces of her kingdom, Elian will have to ask: Who cast the spell? Was it a ruler from a rival kingdom, a sorcerer slighted years earlier, or maybe even someone within the kingdom itself? Saving the kingdom will ultimately serve as a rite of passage, leading her to become the person she's meant to be. In addition to Rachel Zegler, Deadline confirmed in June that cast members on this project include Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and John Lithgow. The film will be directed by Vicky Jenson, most known for all-time fan-favorite Shrek. The script is written by Lauren Hynek (previously known for work on Mulan), Elizabeth Martin (previously known for work on The Christmas Ball), and Linda Woolverton (previously known for work on The Lion King and Maleficent). The original score for the film is by Academy Award-winner Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater. 

With Lasseter at the helm, Skydance has also recently acquired Ray Gunn, a feature-length animated film by Brad Bird, the visionary director known for films such as Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and the beloved classic The Iron Giant. For decades, Bird has delivered stories to a broad audience of eyeballs both young and old. Now, Skydance is honored to be the connection between his new work and the newest generation of fans.

In 2023, Skydance will journey into television series production with its debut The Search For WondLa. Originally a children's science fiction fantasy series by author Tony DiTerilizzi published in 2010, The Search for WondLa is about a twelve-year-old girl named Eva Nine who has never been outdoors or seen another human being her entire life. When a greedy hunter destroys her underground home, she is determined to find someone to relate to who might be able to help. One clue drives her journey and gives her hope: a picture of a girl, a robot, an adult, and the word "WondLa." The television adaptation for Apple TV+ will be written and produced by showrunner Bobs Gannaway, with Chad Quant, Gotham Group, and Tony DiTerilizzi himself also serving as executive producers.

Last but very much not least of the upcoming Skydance projects is Pookoo, yet another animated film currently in development status under John Lasseter. Not much has been revealed just yet about the film, but it's been confirmed that Pookoo will be written and directed by Nathan Greno, previously known for directing Gigantic and Tangled.

Following the inception of a multi-year deal with Apple TV+, each of these upcoming Skydance Animation endeavors will be available for streaming on the Apple TV+ platform, not to mention years of kids and family TV series and movies that can be looked forward to. Kids' programming has been a hot battleground for streaming services. Apple TV+ has already snagged The Snoopy Show and Sesame Street Workshop's Helpsters. Fraggle Rock and Harriet The Spy from the Jim Henson Co. are on the horizon, as well as a new series based on the stories and illustrations of Maurice Sendak. Skydance Animation is thrilled to join this repertoire of excellent television. David Ellison (head of Skydance Media) and John Lasseter will serve as producers on all feature films, and executive producers on series.

            Thanks to the Skydance Animation deal with Apple TV+, Kids and families alike can turn on Apple TV+ and be met with options upon options for quality content that is all at once both classic and yet one-of-a-kind. There is a lot yet to be revealed but one thing is for certain: Skydane Animation titles jam-packed with adventure, whimsy, warmth, and groundbreaking entertainment are on their way.