At a panel hosted by Disney Animation Studios at the 2022 Annecy Film Festival, Jennifer Lee received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the first images of the movie “Avalon, Strange Journey” were released.
Jennifer Lee had a hard time holding back tears last Friday, June 17, during a panel organized by Disney animation studios at the Annecy Festival. The creative director of the company, as well as the director of the animated film at the biggest box office with Frozen 2, was awarded the Crystal of Honor, which rewarded him throughout his career.
In the presence of Clark Spencer (Disney Animation Management), his family, and hundreds of spectators at the festival, Jennifer Lee attended a tribute paid by dozens of studio staff with a moving video montage. The award ceremony was preceded by the festival’s artistic delegate Marcel Jean’s dazzling career as a director who arrived at Disney in 2012 to co-write the film Wreck-It Ralph.
From his initial eight-week contract, the filmmaker climbed the ranks of Disney one by one with lightning speed, especially thanks to the phenomenal success of his two films, Frozen and its sequel. In 2018, Jennifer Lee became the first woman to be appointed Creative Director of Disney Animation Studios, replacing John Lasseter (also fired for misconduct).
This panel also made it possible to discover the first world-exclusive images of Avalonia, a bizarre journey that is expected in France just before the end of the year. Directed by Don Hall (especially Raya and the last dragon and Moana, the legend of the end of the world), this film tells the adventures of three men from different generations and one family of explorers around the world. The amazingness of Avalonia.
These first pictures were revealed to us by the film’s producer Roy Conley. Speaking in French (he has led Disney Animation France teams for the past few years), the enthusiastic fifties introduced one by one the main characters of the feature film and, in particular, one of the main characters, Ethan Clad, who was formed. The first character in a Disney openly gay animated film.
A choice that was obvious as diversity and inclusiveness became the word of Disney management, an approach that was actively advocated by Jennifer Lee and Roy Conley. To refresh oneself more than necessary, but to ensure a better representation of the world as a whole, while Disney Studios is celebrating its centenary next year.
“As a member of an industry that until recently had very few women in positions of responsibility, as soon as I became a creative director, I wanted to be surrounded by different people because I felt that our stories were not for everyone. Our work is about creating universal stories. “Together with Clark (Spencer, Editor’s note) we went in search of this talent from the diversity to allow them to take turns telling their own stories,” Ando told Jennifer Lee in an exclusive interview.
Having a gay hero is also a firm commitment, as the release of Pixar’s studio Buzz Lightyear’s new product is banned in several countries because of the short scene containing the first lesbian kiss ever shown on screen by the producer. Famous animation studio. Therefore, the message is clear: Disney’s next performances will therefore be aimed only at countries that recognize these values of diversity and tolerance.
Another novelty announced by this Disney panel is the upcoming two series of original broadcasts designed for the Disney + platform. For this, the company relied on two units that are already very popular in the community: Baymax !, a spin-off of new characters dedicated to the title robot, and Zootopia +, an anthology that explores secondary characters from the movie Zootopia. Both series are expected on the platform this year.
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
