Netflix Sets Skydance Animation In Multi-Year Deal, First Up Is Alan Menken Musical ‘Spellbound;’ Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem Star
18.10.2023 - 20:37
/ deadline.com
That didn’t take long. Skydance Animation has found a new home, signing a multi-year agreement with Netflix to develop and produce animated movies to be released directly on Netflix. This deal means Skydance’s full existing animated feature slate will be released exclusively on Netflix.
Deal comes as a multi-year pact with Apple comes to an end. Skydance Animation is already staked with Netflix, and the deal expands on a number of different projects. The first new one is Spellbound, a film that began its road at Apple, but will now debut on Netflix in 2024. That will be followed by Pookoo in 2025.
This deal expands on the existing relationship between the two companies who have already partnered on a number of projects including the films The Adam Project, Heart of Stone, The Old Guard, and Spy Kids: Armageddon along with the series FUBAR, Altered Carbon and Grace and Frankie.
John Lasseter continues to head Skydance Animation with prexy Holly Edwards. The Skydance offshoot launched in 2017 and is based in LA and Madrid.
Netflix is coming off the Oscar for Best Animated Film with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, and the streamer adds another supplier that won’t take long to make an impact. First up is Spellbound follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, into monsters. Spellbound is directed by Vicky Jenson (Shrek, Shark Tale) with original score from composer Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater. Spellbound’s voice cast is led by West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, and Tituss Burgess. The film