Walt Disney Animation’s Andrew Millstein and Pixar’s Jim Morris have been promoted to president at the toon studios.
The two executives will continue to oversee business operations and production at the respective companies.
They report to Ed Catmull, president, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.
“We’re fortunate and proud to have an abundance of strong creative leadership at Disney, and Andrew and Jim are two incredible talents that embody the perfect blend of business and artistic focus,” Catmull said. “Not only have they done so much to ensure each of their studios is operating at peak condition, they continually push their teams to new heights of creativity, storytelling and innovation.”
Millstein most recently was executive VP and general manager of Walt Disney Animation Studios, guiding the division through a creative resurgence which has included the blockbusters “Frozen,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Tangled,” and more recently “Big Hero 6.” “Frozen” is the highest grossing animated film of all time. Millstein joined Disney in 1997 as a production executive in the motion pictures group.
“Andrew’s leadership has been a major factor in the renaissance of Walt Disney Animation and we’re excited to see what wonderful films and technological advancements continue to emerge from that group under his leadership,” Catmull said.
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Morris was previously general manager and executive VP of production for Pixar, overseeing the production of features, shorts, DVD content and theme park activities in addition to Pixar’s Studio Tools, systems, development and human resources.
Before joining Pixar, Morris was president of Lucas Digital, where he managed both Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic.
“I’m continually impressed by Jim’s business and creative acumen,” Catmull said. “He truly understands film production inside and out, and his management of Pixar allows its culture to continually grow, explore new areas and technology, and advance new ways of storytelling.”
