What’s Next for Skydance Animation and John Lasseter Following ‘Luck’ Release?

You may have recalled recently that Skydance Animation Studios released their first full-length feature film, 'Luck.' Speckled with an all-star cast of voice actors and a cute plot, 'Luck' was relatively successful in the wake of a tumultuous COVID-19 production. But 'Luck' was only one feature made in conjunction with Apple TV+ and Skydance Animation. Under the direction of John Lasseter (formerly head of Pixar), Skydance Animation is well on its way to releasing more animated shorts and feature-length films in the next year and a half.

Here is a sneak peek into what's on the horizon for the animation company. As a hint: Sci-Fi and fantasy lovers will be excited about future releases.

Skydance Animation & John Lasseter's 'Blush'

Skydance Animation is a relatively new production studio, having produced one animated short and one full-length animated feature film ('Luck'). After John Lasseter joined the Skydance Animation team in late 2019, production took off. Blush, the company's animated short, was the first project completed under the watchful eye of Lasseter, John Ellison, and the rest of the Skydance Animation crew. It was also the first of several to be released in an unprecedented streaming deal with Apple TV+. 

Starting a career with animated shorts is no new deal for John Lasseter, who won his first awards with his animated short 'Tin Toy.' It's no surprise that 'Blush,' written by Joe Matteo, tugged at viewers' heartstrings like many of Pixar's shorts. 

'Blush' follows the story of a stranded astronaut & plant scientist on a seemingly inhospitable planet. The main character seems on the brink of his demise when he is discovered by a friendly, otherworldly, pink presence. The two strike up a life together on this planet, which his friend (eventually, his romantic partner) and he turn from a barren rock into a paradise. But after they've established a life on the planet, he is eventually faced with heartbreak - and the opportunity to recover from that heartbreak.

The story is based on the story of Joe Mateo and his wife, who died of breast cancer. Mateo acknowledged that with his conscious choice of color for his vibrant, loveable alien character.

Recently Released: 'Luck'

After Joe Mateo's 'Blush' won over hearts in ten minutes, Skydance's first full-length animated film came out. 'Luck' was a recent release from the company, made available on Apple TV+ on August 5th, 2022. 'Luck' holds some of the style of John Lasseter's former projects, including nods to the visual stylization of many Pixar characters and voices from many former collaborators. Simon Pegg, Whoopi Goldberg, and, of course, John Ratzenberger all bring their familiar voices to the set. However, 'Luck' also hosted some new voices - like Eva Noblezada of Broadway's Miss Saigon. In her first-ever voice-acting gig, award-winning actress Jane Fonda also lent her vocal talents to the movie.

The plot of 'Luck' may be too complex to explain in just a paragraph. However, the most critical aspect is that it revolves around the life of Sam, a former foster child, and current extremely unlucky adult. She mistakenly stumbles upon the Land of Luck, where all the luck (both good and bad) is made for the human world. Unfortunately, her presence there threatens the stability of everyone else's luck, so it's a race against a fantasy clock to ensure Sam can get back to the human world before she messes it up for everyone.

The plot of 'Luck' goes beyond just intelligent storytelling about the nature of luck - some would say that both good and bad luck influenced the making of the movie. Movie production started just before the pandemic, which meant some quick thinking on John Lasseter and the rest of the Skydance Animation crew's parts since they could no longer shoot in the studio. Luckily, they could set up home recording studios for the voice actors, and direction was often held over zoom. 

The results speak for themselves. Despite being thrown a curveball, the Skydance Animation team made 'Luck' work (and captivated audiences while doing so). 

What's Next For Skydance Animation

After the success of 'Luck,' animation fans are excited to see what is next from the production company, especially after a long break from animation expert John Lasseter. Skydance Animation has several different projects slated for release on Apple TV+. These are only some of the projects currently in the works.

• Pookoo

Not much is known yet about Pookoo, other than it is an animated film currently in development status with Skydance Animation. Its release date is likely sometime in 2023. Otherwise, it's been confirmed that Nathan Greno - director of 'Gigantic' and 'Tangled' will be the movie's director.

• The Fourteenth Goldfish

A bit more is known about Skydance Animation's upcoming project 'The Fourteenth Goldfish". A full-length animated feature based on the best-selling book by Jennifer L. Holm, Skydance animation acquired movie rights to the book quite recently. The film's plot focuses on a young girl and her grandfather - the one twist? Her grandfather's age was reversed to 14 after finding a piece of technology called the T. Melvinus. Can she, her grandfather, and a boy named Raj keep this powerful technology out of the wrong hands?

Skydance Animation has confirmed that Victor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres (Love, Death + Robots)  will direct, Ted Melfi and Kimberly Quinn (Hidden Figures, St. Vincent)will write, and Allesandro Carloni (Kung Fu Panda, The Croods) will serve as executive producer.

Skydance Animation is already excited about acquiring movie rights for The Fourteenth Goldfish. Of the partnership, president of animation and family entertainment Bill Damaschke said, 

"We fell in love with 'The Fourteenth Goldfish' immediately and were passionate about telling this story featuring characters of all ages and the unique comedic circumstances that connects a young girl with her grandfather at an important time in both their lives. These incredible filmmakers are the perfect team to bring this story to life, and we couldn't be happier they chose Skydance as the place to realize their vision."

Writers Ted Melfi and Kimberly Quinn are also already on board. Ted Melfi recently weighed in on the topic,

"It's not often a kid's novel can so elegantly deal with the weighty topics of life and death, getting old, falling in love, and moving on, yet somehow, 'The Fourteenth Goldfish' does all that and more. From the very first read, Kim and I felt this was a special project, a chance to explore humanity's thickest themes through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl."

• Ray Gunn

'Ray Gunn' is one project about which quite a bit is already known. This is perhaps because it has been in the works since the 1990s and has now found a home at Skydance Animation, likely helped by Brad Bird and John Lasseter's long-term friendship. The movie is a detective story set in the city of Metropia. Written by Brad Bird and Matthew Robbins, the story has many of the stylistic attributes we so often associate with Bird movies (like 'The Iron Giant' and 'The Incredibles'). This will be Bird's first animation project since 2018, when he helped with Disney-Pixar's highest-grossing Pixar production, 'The Incredibles 2'.

But it's not just friends of Bird, like John Lasseter, who are excited to have the visionary storyteller on board. Holly Edwards, president of Skydance animation, recently said of the partnership, 

"We're thrilled to partner with Brad to finally bring his vision of Ray Gunn to the screen. From its immersive world to its rich characters, we can't wait to explore this story and to create a one-of-a-kind animated experience for audiences around the world."

• Spellbound

'Spellbound' remains somewhat of a mystery plot-wise, which still seemed to work out for 'Luck,' whose plot was hush until very near its release. However, what is known about 'Spellbound' is that it revolves around a kingdom in peril, split in two by the forces of light and dark. The king and queen's daughter must use her magic powers to ensure the forces tearing the kingdom in two don't cause its demise. 

Oh, and did we mention it's a musical? It makes sense, coming from former Disney artists.

'Spellbound' involves at least one of John Lasseter's former co-artists from his time at Disney-Pixar. Alan Menken, composer for 'Aladdin' and 'The Little Mermaid,' will be heading up the score for the movie. Additionally, Glenn Slater of 'Tangled' will be writing lyrics, Linda Woolverton (The Lion King, Beauty & The Beast), Lauren Hynek (Mulan), and Elizabeth Martin (Mulan) will be writing the script, and 'Shrek''s Vicky Jenson will be directing. 

The cast will include Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Nathan Lane, John Lithgow, Jennifer Lewis, and more. 

It's clear from plans (and from 'Luck' and 'Blush') that Skydance Animation is reaching for the stars with its animated films. The company has big shoes to fill - Disney and Pixar are the two most notable animated feature film production companies worldwide. However, if they continue to produce unique stories with animation that breaks the mold, likely, their features will eventually become household names.