Tom Morrow
06-21-2007, 06:46 PM
Chief of DisneyToons is let go
Disney tosses Toons topper (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967400.html?categoryId=20)
Morrill sacked over Tinkerbell problems
Variety
Disney has ousted Sharon Morrill, long-time head of its DisneyToons direct-to-DVD operations. Morrill was sacked on Monday from her post as president on returning from a vacation even though she has another year and a half on a five-year contract that she signed in late 2003. A rep for the Mouse House said Morrill was being moved into another slot dealing with special projects, but would not elaborate.
The key problem apparently stemmed from costs that had ballooned to nearly $50 million on the The Tinkerbell Movie project. Tinkerbell has seen close to two dozen versions of the script and a dozen different directors.
Multiple sources also said that Morrill, who had headed DisneyToons since its inception in 1994, has repeatedly clashed with Pixar Animation toppers John Lasseter and Ed Catmull over creative differences on Tinkerbell following Disney's puchase of Pixar early last year.
As part of that deal, Lasseter and Catmull were put on top of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Though the two did not directly oversee DisneyToons, they are said to have gotten increasingly involved in the unit's operations.
complete article (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967400.html?categoryid=20&cs=1)
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Disney tosses Toons topper (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967400.html?categoryId=20)
Morrill sacked over Tinkerbell problems
Variety
Disney has ousted Sharon Morrill, long-time head of its DisneyToons direct-to-DVD operations. Morrill was sacked on Monday from her post as president on returning from a vacation even though she has another year and a half on a five-year contract that she signed in late 2003. A rep for the Mouse House said Morrill was being moved into another slot dealing with special projects, but would not elaborate.
The key problem apparently stemmed from costs that had ballooned to nearly $50 million on the The Tinkerbell Movie project. Tinkerbell has seen close to two dozen versions of the script and a dozen different directors.
Multiple sources also said that Morrill, who had headed DisneyToons since its inception in 1994, has repeatedly clashed with Pixar Animation toppers John Lasseter and Ed Catmull over creative differences on Tinkerbell following Disney's puchase of Pixar early last year.
As part of that deal, Lasseter and Catmull were put on top of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Though the two did not directly oversee DisneyToons, they are said to have gotten increasingly involved in the unit's operations.
complete article (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967400.html?categoryid=20&cs=1)
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