Netflix reveals new details about anime titles with Skydance

Netflix on Thursday shared new details about its upcoming animated films “Spellbound” and “Pookoo,” produced in collaboration with Skydance Animation.

Spellbound is about Elyan, the young daughter of the rulers of Lumbria, and she has a secret… a mysterious spell that turned her parents into monsters, said The Lion King actor Nathan Lane during the Netflix animated show. Preview from the Los Angeles streaming platform.

Elian summons the mysterious Oracles of the Sun and Moon to help her break the spell.

The film is directed by Vicki Jensen, whose credits include the DreamWorks animated film “Shrek.” She will be joined by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, known for his work on numerous Disney films, including “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

Actors Rachel Ziegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, and Jennifer Lewis will also star in the film, which will be released on the service on November 22.

The new animated films are a sign that Netflix is ​​investing more in such family-friendly and adult content, which has proven to help retain subscribers. It’s also in line with the company’s broad programming strategy to create something for everyone.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last year that the company plans to spend more on animated content in 2024, because it is among the most watched content on the service.

Feature films like “Leo” and “The Sea Beast” were huge hits with subscribers, prompting Netflix to add more, including another episode of “Arcane,” based on the massively multiplayer online game “League of Legends,” and more. “Arcane”. “Wallace and Gromit” movies.

Additionally, Netflix highlighted its TV programming schedule during the preview event, including the final season of “Big Mouth” and the news that Timothy Olyphant will be the voice of the Terminator in the upcoming title “Terminator Zero.”

“Pookoo” is the second film produced under a multi-year contract with Netflix and Skydance. The film, which is still in development, is a buddy comedy about a small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two arch natural enemies of the valley, who magically swap places and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

“Tangled” director Nathan Greenough is directing “Pookoo,” along with fellow “Toy Story” animation producers John Lasseter and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” producer Mary Ellen Bouder.

The film is scheduled to be released in 2025.

Lasseter, the former creative director of Disney and the creative force behind Pixar Animation Studios, will oversee production of the films. He left Disney in 2018 after allegations of unwanted hugs in the workplace.

Lasseter joined Skydance Animation in 2019 after taking a leave of absence from Disney in 2017.