(Reuters) – Walt Disney (NYSE:) Animation Studios, in a significant leadership shift, on Thursday named Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jared Bush as its new chief creative officer, effective immediately.
Bush, the creative force behind movie hits such as “Encanto,” “Zootopia,” and writer of the original Oscar-nominated hit “Moana” takes the reins from Jennifer Lee, who will return to filmmaking full time to steward the wildly successful “Frozen” franchise.
Lee joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2011 as co-writer of “Wreck-It Ralph” and writer of “Frozen.” After serving as CCO since 2018, she will now focus on directing and writing “Frozen 3” and co-writing “Frozen 4” with Marc Smith.
A Disney veteran of over a decade, Bush will oversee the creative output of the iconic animation studio, including its films, series and associated projects, Disney said in a statement.
Bush is currently working on “Zootopia 2” and serves as the writer and executive producer of the upcoming “Moana 2,” which are due to release in the fall of 2025 and 2024, respectively, Disney said. (This story has been refiled to say that ‘Zootopia 2’ will release in the fall of 2025 and ‘Moana 2’ will release in the fall of 2024, not 2025, in paragraph 5)
