Skydance Animation has ended its cooperation with AppleTV+ and is releasing its next projects on Netflix, including “Spellbound” with Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, among others. The streaming giant thus continues to declare war on competitor Disney.
Netflix has made huge gains in animation in recent years, most recently winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” adaptation and a Primetime Emmy for the animated original series “Arcane.” That’s no coincidence. Because for years, Netflix has had a plan to position itself as serious competition for Disney and Pixar.
The goal is clear: animation fans and especially families should not go directly to Disney+, but rather give preference to the streaming service with the red N. Now Netflix has struck an exciting deal that is likely to pay towards this goal: It’s secured a collaboration with Skydance Animation, which was previously at home on the AppleTV+ streamer.
While Skydance’s live-action film division will remain with the iPhone company, where it will release the Mark Wahlberg film “The Family Project” and “The Gorge” with Anya Taylor-Joy, among others, already planned animated films will now move to Netflix. Leading the way is the musical “Spellbound,” directed by “Shrek” director Vicky Jensen and featuring a star-studded voice cast of Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”), Nicole Kidman (“Australia”) and Javier Bardem (“Biutiful”).
ANIMATED FILMS FROM BIG NAMES ARE IN THE PIPELIN AT NETFLIX
So the animated flick was actually made in collaboration with AppleTV+ and was scheduled for release there in 2024. However, as Variety reports, the film doesn’t quite fit into the streaming service’s lineup, and so a unanimous agreement would have been reached to give way to another platform here. Most recently, AppleTV+ released the Skydance animated film “Luck.”
After “Spellbound,” the flick “Pookoo,” directed by “Rapunzel – Newly Revenged” director Nathan Greno, is said to be waiting in the wings on Netflix and scheduled for 2025. Other films include “Ray Gunn” from “The Incredibles” director Brad Bird, as well as a “Jack And The Beanstalk” film from Rich Moore, who is responsible for animation hits like “Zoomania” and “Ralph Reichts.” So there are some big-name projects waiting in the pipeline here, as Netflix continues to battle Disney+.
