Sobering news dropped via Deadline on February 9th that the three-decades old animation studio, Blue Sky, is to have its doors permanently closed by April of this year. The studio, creator of the multi-billion dollar Ice Age franchise, was taken over by The Walt Disney Company during their acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. However, after a short two-year ownership which saw only one Blue Sky feature- Spies in Disguise (Bruno & Quane, 2019)- distributed under Disney, the conglomerate have decided to close operations at their third feature animation studio.
Resultantly, production on Blue Sky's Nimona, set to be directed by Oscar-winner Patrick Osborne (Feast), and originally scheduled for a 2022 release, has been terminated. There is no official news as of yet whether a smilier fate will be handed to Ice Age: Adventures of Buck Wild, the television series based on Simon Pegg's Ice Age character currently in production. Last reports in October of 2019 claimed that the Blue Sky series was still in early development and proposed to be released on Disney+.
A statement from the studio claims that the decision for the closure is ultimately the result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Given the current economic realities, after much consideration and evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close filmmaking operations at Blue Sky Studios.” Indeed, the economic hardships of the pandemic have been felt internationally, with tycoon Disney even forced to shelve multiple projects and, sadly, terminate the contracts of many workers (particularly in its parks). What is more surprising however, is the decision to close Blue Sky now, given the greater potential the medium of animation poses to be completed in covid-secure, socially distanced conditions. This is even something we have seen Disney properties accomplish, with the recent release of the mini series on Disney+, Pixar Popcorn, a selection of micro-shorts made entirely from home by Pixar staff.
Obviously collaboration is still key to animation. However, given its intrinsically technological nature (and current global circumstances), one might wonder why Disney would choose to close one of its three most "reliable" studios.
It could be questioned whether or not Disney saw enough potential profitability in Blue Sky. In particular, they may have perceived less value in the studio's output following Spies in Disguise's rather underwhelming box-office performance. More so, considering it had been projected to make higher earnings based on the marketability of Disney favourites Will Smith and Tom Holland, who both had starring roles. Such reasoning would be a great shame, and reflect a great underestimation of Blue Sky's storytelling capabilities.
The animation studio is understandably best known for the Ice Age franchise, whose instalments have continuously been produced (arguably overproduced) for the past 20 years. However, their potential and more pressingly, their pre-existing track record, for creating spectacularly realised animated feature films should not be overlooked. Of particular note I would point to likes of Rio (Saldanha, 2011) and The Peanuts Movie (Martino, 2015), both incredibly different breeds of animation, though skilful in their own right, and personal favourites of mine. Rio's set design is particularly strong. Its world feels rich, lively, and realistic, supported further by some impressive technical lighting and very thorough foly sound. As for The Peanuts Movie, despite its iconic source material, the feature adaption of Charles M. Shultz' comic strips is an incredibly underrated animated marvel. Is characters are well-realised and the film's mundane, slice-of-life nature does great justice to the original works. It is heartfelt and genuinely funny, and looks gorgeous.
It's a great shame to see works such as these lost in the fray of animated franchises with a more long-lasting box-office presence. Whether or not Disney (in part) chose to close the doors on Blue Sky and hold exclusively onto its most "valuable" franchise is yet to be seen. However, should this be the case, it is indeed a troubling threat to the creative potential of animation, and its future as a source of progressive, original storytelling. New worlds and ideas thrive within animation, and the capabilities of those who work within it should not be hindered by putting an end to new and innovative projects over safe, established IPs.
Yet regardless of circumstance, all I can hope to offer is my very best to the animators and further staff of Blue Sky, and thank them for the movies they have made and shared with us over the years. While it is never a good time, it is even more so now an incredibly difficult period to loose ones job. I wish them all the luck in the world in finding new work, and I hope they are all safe and well given the uncertain circumstances we face.
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