Tim Cook Apple TV+Source: Apple TV+

What you need to know

  • Apple has reportedly struck a deal with Skydance Animation to release movies on Apple TV+.
  • The multi-year deal will include Luck and Spellbound.

Apple has struck a multi-year deal with Skydance Animation to release several films including Luck and Spellbound.

From the LA Times:

Apple has made a deal to release movies produced by Skydance Animation, the Skydance Media unit run by former Pixar and Walt Disney Animation head John Lasseter, the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant said Wednesday.

As part of "an expansive multi-year partnership" with Skydance Animation, Apple will release upcoming movies "Luck" and "Spellbound," as well as a series titled "The Search for WondLa," based on the children's fantasy book series by Tony DiTerlizzi. The pact will include several more series and films to be announced, the company said in a statement.

It was previously reported Apple was in talks to buy both of those titles in a deal last year. The move should prove fruitful for Apple as it looks to expand its content for young adults and children, but the move may not be without controversy. From the report on Lasseter:

Lasseter in 2019 joined Skydance Media, the Santa Monica entertainment company of Oracle Corp. scion David Ellison. Lasseter previously was chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios but exited in 2018 after taking a leave of absence following allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior toward women. At the time of his Skydance hiring, he expressed regret for "how my actions unintentionally made colleagues uncomfortable."

Amid an ensuing outcry, including within Paramount, Emma Thompson left her role as a voice actress on "Luck," citing Lasseter's hiring.