With John Lasseter due to depart The Walt Disney Company at the end of the year in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, it has been announced that Jennifer Lee (Frozen, Zootopia) and Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) are set to serve as Chief Creative Officers for Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios respectively.
“Jennifer Lee and Pete Docter are two of the most gifted filmmakers and storytellers I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with,” said Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn. “Pete, the genius creative force behind Up, Inside Out, and Monsters, Inc., has been an integral part of Pixar almost since the beginning and is a huge part of its industry-leading success. Jenn, in bringing her bold vision to the boundary-breaking Frozen, has helped infuse Disney Animation with a new and exciting perspective. Each of them embodies the unique spirit, culture, and values of these renowned animation studios, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have them to lead us into the future.”
Lee, who won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature for Frozen, is currently working on the sequel to the 2014 animated smash hit, while Docter is attached to direct an as-yet-untitled Pixar Animation project, and is also credited with the story for Toy Story 4.
