WETA Digital Launching Animation Division

[Pennywise]

Peter Jackson’s Company Weta Digital Launches Animation Division – Variety

Peter Jackson is getting into the business of animation. The filmmaker’s special effects company Weta Digital is launching an an animation division.

Industry veteran Prem Akkaraju will serve as its chief executive officer. The New Zealand-based company said Thursday that creating animation has been a long-held dream of majority owners Jackson and Fran Walsh, who will write, produce and direct several animated projects for the company. Details of those projects were not disclosed.

“We are huge fans of animated storytelling in all of its forms, but it can be a long, protracted, and often costly way to make movies,” Jackson said in a statement. “That’s, in part, why we have created this company – to change the model and open the doors to filmmakers and storytellers who might not otherwise be given the chance to show what they can do.”

Weta Animated will work alongside Weta Digital’s visual effects business for the film and television industry and will begin producing original content for the first time in its 25-year history.

 

[THORin]

Awesome! I’ll be excited to see what they come up with.

 

[Arachnerd]

Tintin sequel pls.

 

[terry78]

Cool.

 

[Iceman]

Nice. I’m sure they can come up with some strong content.

 

[jmc]

Seems like something they should have been doing 10 years ago. Better late than never I guess.

 

[CB Fan]

I’m excited by this news.

 

[Silvermoth]

Cool! I wonder what they’ll come up with?

 

[MOVIELORD101]

Tintin sequel pls.

I get the feeling this might be Jackson starting to prep for that. He and Spielberg commented a year or two ago that it's still happening!

 

[:eek:]

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