Netflix Shuffles Film Animation Executive Team After Animal Logic Acquisition

Netflix is shuffling and simplifying the govt staff on its animation movie group in the wake of Netflix on Tuesday asserting the acquisition of Australian-centered animation studio Animal Logic to enable assist Netflix’s original film slate.

Netflix has promoted Karen Toliver, at this time VP of Animated Film, to lead the new film animation group on the content material facet and reporting to World-wide Film head Scott Stuber. Melissa Cobb, who earlier led the group and has been with Netflix for the previous four years, will now shift to starting to be a imaginative creating partner with Netflix.

Gregg Taylor, also a VP of Animated Film who has been with Netflix for the last 4 decades, will also change to just grow to be a producer. The shift removes a layer from the govt team and aims to streamline the group.

Meanwhile, Bruce Daitch, VP of Animation Manufacturing Operations, will exit Netflix. He will continue to be on the transition crew and help with the integration of Animal Logic for the up coming pair of months. Traci Balthazor, who is now VP of Animation Movie Production, and Mike Karafilis, director of Animation Collection Production, will lead their respective groups, reporting to Amy Reinhard, VP of Studio Functions, and each Toliver and Balthazor will be associates.

The collection animation teams will keep on being unchanged, with John Derderian remaining as VP of Animation Collection.

“Over 4 yrs ago, Melissa joined the organization to direct our animation team and given that then has built the studio from the floor up. She’s attracted major filmmakers and sent a diverse slate of award successful animated films,” Stuber reported in a statement to TheWrap. “Gregg was essential to making our imaginative group and he helped oversee and shepherd our extraordinary film slate to date, such as, most a short while ago, ‘The Sea Beast.’ We are enthusiastic to have them equally go on to be section of the Netflix loved ones as innovative manufacturing partners.

He continued: “Our determination is to create a earth-course animation studio and Karen is a sturdy inventive chief, with intensive knowledge to produce our formidable slate of animated movies. She is beloved in the animation local community and has had an speedy impression in her couple of brief months at Netflix and I search forward to seeing her prosper in this elevated posture.”

“Bruce has been the glue of animation production for the earlier two years, managing the production pipelines, toolsets, and infrastructures when also constructing two manufacturer new Animation manufacturing studios for the duration of a pandemic I’m so grateful for everything he’s completed,” Reinhard stated in a statement. “Traci has established to be an remarkable leader and collaborator, quickly adapting to the expanding needs of the business scale and scope. With her practical experience, I am self-confident she will make a strong partner to Karen leading the animated movie workforce.”

Netflix’s acquisition of Animal Logic is meant to assist Netflix’s primary animated film slate, which already involves titles like “Klaus,” “Over the Moon” and the approaching “The Sea Beast.” The Animal Logic and Netflix Animation teams alongside one another will associate on generating Netflix’s largest animated film titles and bring a lot of that manufacturing in-property. Other impending titles incorporate Henry Selick’s “Wendell & Wild,” Nora Twomey’s “My Father’s Dragon,” “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” Wendy Rogers’ The Magician’s Elephant” and an Aardman sequel to “Chicken Operate.” 

Animal Logic is acknowledged for “Happy Toes,” “The Lego Movie” franchise and Netflix’s impending animated film “The Magician’s Elephant,” and they are also doing the job on “DC League of Tremendous Pets” and have a VFX arm that has worked on “The Matrix,” the “Peter Rabbit” videos, “300” and “The Great Gatsby.”

Deadline initially described the information about the animation leadership staff restructuring.