Top Gun: The Studio Behind Maverick Presents Its First Animated Film at Annecy

Of course, the American studio Skydance Media is on all fronts! Leading the world box office Thanks to Top Gun Maverick, the company is already preparing for the future of its first animated film, called Luck, on the AppleTV + platform next August. This new film by Peggy Holmes (Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy) follows the adventures of Sam, a former orphan who never found an adoptive family who is considered to be the luckiest man in the world. However his life will change after meeting the black cat Bob and discovering the amazing world of random land.

Directed by Peggy Holmes, screenwriter Kiel Murray, producer David Eisenman and even Skydance’s director of animation, Yuriko Seno, in particular, gathered around the film organized by the 2022 Annecy Film Festival. Thus, a talented audience is accompanied by the announcement of the first images of luck.

The feature film draws inspiration from artists skilled in body comedy such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Carol Bennett. It was essential for the film crew not to confuse the bad luck in the middle of the film with any kind of inconvenience, but also to base the story on reality. Thus, screenwriter Kiel Murray went to meet the orphans to discuss their experiences and how the absence of family became for them, as well as part of the identity they had built for themselves.

Significant preparatory work was also required to complete Sam’s unusual fortune-telling sequence; Directed by Peggy Holmes, the choreographer of many successful films (Wayne’s World, Hocus Pocus …), but also the director of music videos and commercials in the 80’s, he was able to draw on his past experience to bring the necessary authenticity to the project and the body of the film. Get into the service of humor.

Many Broadway personalities cast their votes for the film’s characters, ranging from Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon), who is elected to Sam’s camp; In the French version, the latter is interpreted by the singer Luani. Also note that Bob Peggy is played by Simon Peggy, while Jane Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg play the voice roles in the film.

While not on the panel, John Lasseter is also noteworthy. Five years after his expulsion from Pixar Studios for misconduct, American producer and director Skydance founder David Ellison has indeed been appointed head of the studio’s animation division.

Speakers at #MeToo and Time’s Up have strongly protested, with her appointment particularly prompting the resignation of Emma Thompson, who originally chose to vote for one of the characters in the film. After refusing to discuss the charges against the latter, director Peggy Holmes told the panel that she sees Lasseter as an ultra-creative mentor. “Can find a solution to any narrative problem”.

Luckily, Skydance Media Studios’s first animated film will be released exclusively on the AppleTV + platform on August 5th.