Apple has recently inked a new overall deal with Skydance Animation that will bring kid- and family-friendly content to its Apple TV+ streaming platform. This multi-year agreement kicks off with Apple’s acquisition of Skydance Animation’s two upcoming animated features “Luck” and “Spellbound,” which will premier in 2022.
“Luck,” directed by Peggy Holmes and written by Kiel Murray, tells the story of an unlucky girl who stumbles upon a never-before-seen world of good and bad luck and partners with magical creatures to uncover a force even more powerful than luck itself. The film will feature two-time Oscar winner Jane Fonda as The Dragon, who is the luckiest creature in the land.
“Spellbound” is an animated musical directed by Vicky Jenson and written by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, and Linda Woolverton. It showcases the story of a young girl whose mission is to break the spell that has torn her kingdom apart. The original score for the film will come from Oscar winner, Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater.
Skydance Animation is in good hands, as it has next-level creative talent and expertise behind each story. In January 2019, John Lasseter was hired as head of animation for Skydance Animation, where he, along with Holly Edwards, president of Skydance Animation, will serve as producers on all feature films and executive producers on all series.
A creative force to be reckoned with, John Lasseter has been ideating and innovating in the animation world since the late 1970s, when he graduated from the CalArts Character Animation program that was created by Disney animators Jack Hannah and T. Hee. Since then, Lasseter has written, directed, produced, and voice-acted in some of the most memorable animated films of all time.
Throughout his long career at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, Lasseter had an integral part in shaping classics like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and dozens of other notable projects.
Skydance Animation won’t just produce kid-friendly movies for Apple TV+; it will also make its television debut with two seasons of “The Search for WondLa,” an adaptation of Tony DiTerlizzi’s book series “The Search for WondLa.”
The science-fiction fantasy tale showcases the story of a 12-year-old girl who was raised in an underground sanctuary that is one day destroyed, forcing her to flee above ground and experience the outside world for the first time. The Apple Original series will be written and executive produced by showrunner Lauren Montgomery, with Chad Quant, DiTerlizzi, and Gotham Group also serving as executive producers.
Skydance Animation is a division of David Ellison’s Skydance Media, which is widely known for its productions of feature film franchises like “Mission: Impossible,” “Star Trek,” and “Terminator,” and Netflix shows “Altered Carbon” and “Grace and Frankie.”
