Pixar co-founder splits with Netflix, returns to theaters

Pixar co-founder John Lasseter will stop making animated films and series for Netflix, but before the parties go their separate ways, Ray Gunn and Jack and the Beanstalk will debut.

It was a split that attracted widespread media attention in 2018, when Lasseter was fired from Pixar amid the MeToo movement, although there were no lawsuits or settlements.

Lasseter directed some of Pixar's most iconic films, including Toy Story and Cars, in addition to his involvement in many other Pixar projects, including Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E and Inside Out.


Home to Apple
Lasseter was far from finished with animation, however, and in 2017 he took charge of Skydance Animation, and later brought in other former Pixar employees.

In 2021, Skydance Animation entered into a partnership with Apple – almost like coming home after Pixar was originally established as an animation studio under Steve Jobs.

The partnership produced only the film Luck and the series WondLa. Neither was a major success. Apple and Lasseter went their separate ways in 2023.


On to Netflix
In 2023, Skydance Animation and Lasseter signed a deal with Netflix, which resulted in Spellbound – originally an Apple project. Later came the animated film Swapped (née Pookoo), which became a success on Netflix.

But the partnership is coming to an end.

- "Netflix and Paramount have mutually agreed to conclude their animated film agreement. Both companies remain fully committed to the successful releases of ‘Ray Gunn’ and the untitled ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ project on Netflix, and additionally will continue their longstanding content licensing relationship," the parties announced in September.

The upcoming animated film Ray Gunn, starring Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell and directed by Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), is nevertheless set to be a major Netflix release when it arrives on December 18 this year.


Return to theaters – and Paramount
Skydance Animation will instead begin producing animated films for theaters, where the studio will compete with Disney and Disney-owned Pixar.

This comes as part of the lead-up to the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Skydance previously merged with Paramount.

Paramount has pledged to release at least 30 films in theaters each year, a significant increase from the fewer than 20 titles Paramount and Warner Bros. have released combined in recent years. Following the merger, films from Skydance Animation are expected to play a role.

One of the first releases will be Cosmic Motors, described as a kind of Cars in space directed by Lasseter himself. Cosmic Motors was originally intended for Netflix, but will instead receive a theatrical release in 2027.