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Henry Selick Heads Back to Disney/Pixar with Exclusive Deal

by Ethan Anderton
April 1, 2010

As if Disney and Pixar didn't already have enough weight to throw around in the animation circuit (though How to Train Your Dragon shows DreamWorks isn't out of the running yet), Variety reports the dynamic duo have brought back stop-motion director Henry Selick (Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas) in an exclusive long-term deal to make stop motion flicks. That's right, folks, Disney/Pixar now has some of the best talent in 2-D, computer and stop-motion animation. The deal is more of a homecoming, as Selick began his career at Disney in the 70's and even went to CalArts with Pixar's Brad Bird, John Lasseter and others.

Selick will direct projects from original ideas as well as literary properties and utilize the mecca of resources available from Pixar. Back in the 90's, Selick was a popular guy at Disney after Nightmare Before Christmas made some decent bank. But when James and the Giant Peach flopped (in 1996), Selick recalls the reaction from Disney: "I'll quote Dick Cook right after [Giant Peach] was finished. He said, 'We don't believe this is a viable medium anymore, and we're not going to do it.' A few years later they shut down 2D. It's great that both of those things are back." I couldn't agree more and can't wait to see what else Selick has up his sleeves.

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