Skydance Animation and John Lasseter Reveal Rachel Zegler as Star of Upcoming Spellbound
Millions of movie fans will immediately recognize Zegler from her famous balcony scene with Ansel Elgort. Winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Zegler is the first actress of Colombian descent to win the award and the youngest, just 20 years old.
The character Rachel Zegler will be giving a voice in Spellbound is the intrepid and indefatigable Princess Ellian of the Kingdom of Lumbria, who must find a way to reverse a spell that has turned her parents into monsters and threatens to cover her homeland in darkness forever.
John Lasseter’s Choice of Zegler Complements His Choice of Creative Team
Producer John Lasseter chose Rachel Zegler as the perfect complement to the film’s all-star creative team. Spellbound is directed by Vicki Jenson, who has experience at every level in the animation industry. She painted backgrounds for The Flintstones and Smurfs in the 1980s and developed the visual style of Ren & Stimpy and Mighty Mouse. Jenson won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and an Annie Award, among others, for Shrek.
Lasseter chose legendary composer Alan Menken, appreciated around the world for his work on Beauty and the Beast, to compose the music for Spellbound. Collaborating with Menken are celebrated lyricists Glenn Slater of “Tangled” and the former head of Walt Disney Music, Chris Montan. John Lasseter chose to have the script written by Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek of “Mulan” fame, along with “Beauty and the Beast” scriptwriter Linda Woolverton.
Creative Toy Maker Spin Master to Create a Product Line for Spellbound
John Lasseter’s Skydance Animation recently revealed that it had entered a multiple-year partnership with creative toy maker Spin Master to create a product line for Spellbound and Skydance Animation’s future films. Spin Master, the maker of PAW Patrol, Etch a Sketch, Rubik’s Cube, and Hatchimals, will develop lines of fashion dolls, mini-dolls, and vehicles for all of Skydance’s future films.
“We are thrilled to build a partnership with a company like Spin Master, that is as deeply committed to detail that delights consumers as we are,” said Luis Fernández, John Lasseter’s head of consumer products at Skydance. “As we create our catalog of animated features, we cannot imagine a more effective partner in bringing our slate of epic, visually stunning animated worlds to life.”
About Skydance Animation
Skydance Animation is a subsidiary of Skydance Media, the brainchild of David Ellison, who founded the company in 2006. In just its first decade of operation, Skydance Media made a name for itself through its partnership with Paramount, producing feature films including “True Grit,” “Mission Impossible — Fall Out,” “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” “Snake Eyes,” and “The Adam Project, and many more, along with video games, animation, and television.
Skydance Animation is the result of a 2017 partnership between Skydance Media and Spanish animation giant Ilion Studios. The partnership’s first full-length animated film Luck will be released on August 5th, 2022, followed by Spellbound in November 2022.
About John Lasseter
Renowned animator John Lasseter has made his career integrating computer science with filmmaking, animation, and art. Under his leadership, Pixar transformed itself from a computer company that did animation on the side to a major force in animated filmmaking. Lasseter’s distinguished career includes stints as chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, as well as principal creative advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Lasseter won two Academy Awards for Toy Story. His films have grossed nearly $20 billion, making him one of the most successful film producers of all time.
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