In a sudden announcement from the Mouse House, Disney Animation creative chief Jennifer Lee is stepping down from the iconic studio’s leadership, effective immediately.
Jennifer Lee has been the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2018, meaning that she has been the de facto main artistic voice of the world’s most legendary studio. Lee first came to prominence as one of the co-screenwriters of Wreck-It Ralph (2012), a hugely successful and critically acclaimed movie during a relatively fallow period for the company.
She followed that up as the co-writer and co-director (with Chris Buck) of Frozen (2013), one of the most colossally giant films that has ever been produced and a huge win for Disney Animation.
Unsurprisingly, Jennifer Lee immediately became a hugely pivotal figure at the studio. She was the sole screenwriter (from a story co-written with Marc Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Robert Lopez) of Frozen 2 (2019) and was a key part of the creative leadership behind hits like Big Hero 6 (2014), Zootopia (2016), and Moana (2016).
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However, around the time she became CCO, things started to falter. Jennifer Lee co-wrote A Wrinkle in Time (2018), which reportedly lost Disney somewhere in the neighborhood of $130 million. While Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) was a commercial success, it failed to make the same cultural impact as the first movie.
Since then, things have not been so great, although partially due to elements beyond any executive’s control, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of Disney Animation’s last four releases have been critical disappointments, commercial flops, or both: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Strange World (2022), and Wish (2023). Encanto (2021) has been the sole unimpeachable success story since Frozen 2, winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
It makes some sense, then, that Jennifer Lee is stepping down from her position as CCO in order to write and direct the upcoming Frozen 3 and script Frozen 4. Essentially, it seems that Disney is demoting Lee and putting her back on a tried-and-true franchise. Jared Bush, co-writer/director of Zootopia, writer of Moana (2016), and writer and director of Encanto, will replace her as creative chief of the studio.
In a press release, Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman said:
“Jared Bush is an incredible filmmaker and a talented executive who’s been a prominent creative force at Disney Animation for the past decade, and I am thrilled that he’ll be taking the reins of this storied studio. I also want to thank Jennifer Lee for her passionate leadership of the studio over the past several years — she’s made an indelible mark on both Disney Animation and the industry. I know she has so many more stories to tell, and there is truly no one better suited to oversee the continuation of the beloved story of Frozen.”
Related: Update: Disney Divulges New Information After Cancelling ‘Moana’ Sequel Plans
Lee had her own statement:
“I am so grateful to Bob and Alan for supporting my decision to return to filmmaking full time. Every day working with them is a master class in creativity, business, community, and integrity. I’ve always believed in Jared’s incredible talent and can’t wait to see, with his passion and dedication to animation, what he brings to the CCO role. For me, getting to collaborate with this studio of artists, animators, and storytellers is such a privilege, and I look forward to all we will create together.”
And Bush said:
“I am so deeply grateful to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their faith in me, and thankful to Jennifer for her leadership and for her generous support as she embarks on the next chapters of Frozen. Disney Animation is home to some of the greatest stories and characters of the past century, and I’m so excited to work with all of our filmmakers, artists, and Disney Animation team members as we shape the future of this legendary studio together.”
The official statements from Disney are all positioning this sudden restructuring as Jennifer Lee’s desire to get back to the nuts and bolts of film, but that should probably be taken with a grain of salt.
You don’t often see studio heads voluntarily giving up complete control, particularly when they’ve presided over several bombs in a row. Disney may want to call this a promotion for Jared Bush, but it’s pretty clear that it is also a step down for Lee.
What do you think is happening behind the scenes at Disney Animation Studios?
