Skydance Animation today announced that Bruce
Anderson (Spellbound, Ferdinand, Rio 2) has been named Head of Production. In this newly created role, Anderson will oversee production planning for animation production and physical delivery of Skydance Animation’s slate of feature films. Most recently, Anderson served as producer of Skydance Animation’s upcoming animated musical-fantasy Spellbound which debuts later this year on Netflix.
“Bruce is a true collaborator who brings care and attention to every project he touches,” said Holly Edwards, President, Skydance Animation. “As we prepare for the release of Spellbound and continue to ramp up production on our other features in the pipeline, we are thrilled to have Bruce joining the team as Head of Production.”
In 2023, Skydance Animation formed a multi-year partnership with Netflix to develop and produce animated movies to be released directly on the streamer which brought Skydance’s full slate of existing animated features including the upcoming films Spellbound, Pookoo, Ray Gunn and an untitled Jack and the Beanstalk project exclusively to Netflix.
In addition to the studio’s slate of feature films, Skydance Animation will release its first series, WondLa, based on the acclaimed book series by Tony DiTerlizzi on Apple TV+.
Prior to joining Skydance, Anderson worked at Blue Sky Studios, where he produced several films including the Academy Award-nominated films Ferdinand and Rio, as well as Rio 2 and Horton Hears a Who. During his time at Blue Sky, he also served as the Vice President & General Manager of the studio as well as production manager on Ice Age: The Meltdown.
Before his time at Blue Sky, Anderson worked at Walt Disney Feature Animation on a number of projects including Brother Bear, Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor’s New Groove, Tarzan and Mulan.
Skydance Animation develops and produces feature films and television series with full production capability across two studios in Los Angeles and Madrid. The studio’s inaugural short film, Blush, had its world premiere as part of 2021 Tribeca Film Festival’s animated shorts program and is now streaming globally on Apple TV+. In 2022, Skydance Animation premiered their first animated feature, Luck, with Apple Original Films.
The studio has an expansive multi-year partnership with Netflix to develop and produce feature films for the streamer. The first film of the multi-picture deal will be Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson, followed by Pookoo, directed by Nathan Greno. Future films include Ray Gunn, directed by Brad Bird and an untitled Jack and the Beanstalk project directed by Rich Moore. The animation studio’s television slate includes WondLa for Apple TV+.
