Finetuning with Jim Hill & Drew Taylor: Box Office, Cancelled Projects, and the Disney-Fox Deal

Box Office Performance and Animation News

• 🎯 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation earned $12.3 million domestically, bringing its total to $19 million, while Teen Titans Go! to the Movies was praised for its 2D animation and humor.
• 🚀 Gennady Tartakovsky has signed a new deal with Sony Pictures Animation for two new projects, Fixed and Black Knight, after successfully steering the Hotel Transylvania franchise.
• 💔 The Medusa project, a pitch from Todd Alcott and Holly Golden with animation by Lauren Faust, was described as a smart, funny take on the Medusa myth but was ultimately cancelled.

Animation Industry Deals and Studio Futures

• 🤝 Brenda Chapman and Kevin Lima have signed a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox to produce live-action, hybrid, and animated films through their company, TW Entertainment.
• 😟 The impending Disney acquisition of Fox has created uncertainty for Blue Sky Studios, with concerns about its future, especially after recent box office struggles with films like Ferdinand and Ice Age Collision Course.
• 🌟 Despite financial challenges, Blue Sky Studios is working on Spies in Disguise, while Fox was also exploring deals with Locksmith Animation and Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, and planning a Bob's Burgers movie.

Disney's Strategic Moves and Park Expansions

• 💰 Disney's acquisition of Fox's film and television assets, valued at $71 billion, includes Fox Animation, raising questions about how it will integrate with existing Disney and Pixar studios.
• 🎢 There is significant interest from Imagineering in leveraging the Ice Age franchise for park attractions, particularly at Animal Kingdom, following the integration of Avatar IP.
• 🗺️ Jim Hill and Drew Taylor are planning a live event at the Disney resort, including tours of Animal Kingdom, Art of Animation Resort, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios, with activities like Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Toy Story Midway Mania competitions.