ComingSoon.net:

Following the report earlier this month that John Lasseter will officially depart from Pixar and The Walt Disney Company at the end of the year, Walt Disney Studios has announced that Jennifer Lee has been named Chief Creative Officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios and that Pete Docter has been named Chief Creative Officer, Pixar Animation Studios.

Lee has been a rising star at Disney, and is a key, prominent woman in power at a time where Disney could use a strong woman in management. She worked on Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Zootopia, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and is currently directing Frozen 2.

Docter has been a part of Pixar from day one, and is responsible for three of the best animated films of the past 20 years in Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out.

I am confident that these two leads will continue the strong run of films coming from each studio, and I’m excited to see how they innovate moving forward.