Academy Award winner Jennifer Lee is leaving her post as Disney Animation’s Chief Creative Officer, but not on bad terms.
According to multiple outlets, Lee is making the move to focus on the upcoming Frozen sequels. Having previously wrote and directed the last two entries of the franchise, it appears she doesn’t want to split her time and attention.
Filling her role will be Jared Bush, another animator who also has an Oscar for his work on Encanto. He is also credited as a director and writer for Zootopia and his name can next been seen on Moana 2, which he serves as both a writer and executive producer for.
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In a statement made by Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman, Bush was praised for his work. He 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,” he added.
Lee was named CCO of the animation studio in 2018, following the departure of John Lasseter. At the time she was working on Frozen 2.
“I am so grateful to Bob and Alan for supporting my decision to return to filmmaking full time,” Lee said in a statment of her own. “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.”
Frozen earned $400.7 million in North America, and an estimated $880 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $1.2 billion. Frozen 2, released 6 years later, grossed $1.45 billion worldwide, making it the second highest grossing animated film of all time.
The core cast of Kristen Bell, Idina Mendel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff are all set to return for Frozen 3. Chris Buck takes over sole directing duties with Jennifer Lee writing and producing.
