Skydance Animation: A Storm Brewing Behind the Screens?

DISCLAIMER: The scoop you’re about to read is based on information that’s accurate as far as anyone can tell right now — but this is Hollywood, and things change fast. Details can morph, plans can derail, and sometimes even solid intel turns out to be a studio miscommunication, an internal mix-up, or a creative shift made five minutes after we hit “publish.” So treat every bit of early info with a grain of salt. We bring the buzz, not guarantees.

The Raging Hornet has uncovered a whirlwind of controversy and creative turmoil swirling within the walls of Skydance Animation, calling into question the direction of the studio under John Lasseter's leadership.

According to sources familiar with the studio’s current slate, internal tensions, rewrites, and rapid-fire title changes have turned the company’s next wave of projects into a case study in animated chaos.

Buckle up, folks, because this is a wild ride.

Title Tango: Swapped or Pookoo?

Our sources indicate that the studio's next project, originally called Pookoo, faced a near-death experience thanks to Netflix's trigger finger. After Spellbound's lukewarm reception, the streamer reportedly threatened to make the movie a tax write-off. To escape this predicament, a last-minute title change occurred, renaming it Swapped.

Multiple insiders say the new name was decided only mere days before the public announcement, following a year-long tug-of-war between Lasseter and Netflix. While the studio line is that the new title “better reflects the story’s themes,” our sources hint that the move was more about financial optics than artistic vision.

One animator referred to this as "the kind of decision you make when the spreadsheets are louder than the storyboards"

However, here at The Raging Hornet, we'll stick with calling it Pookoo because, frankly, it's more memorable.

Directing Distress: Greno's Exit Strategy, and Holmes' Unwelcome Offer

Pookoo's troubles don't stop there, though. We've received whispers that director Nathan Greno is reportedly frustrated with the ongoing changes, to the point of requesting that his name be removed from the project. Adding another layer to the drama, Peggy Holmes, initially touted as a co-director on Pookoo behind studio walls, had reportedly been fired by John Lasseter. 

However, sources reveal that Holmes was never truly on board; Lasseter merely offered the position. Following the release of her previous directing effort Luck, Lasseter allegedly claimed that he had "no more use" for Holmes, a sentiment which was also supposedly echoed about Spellbound director Vicky Jenson. Sources say that Lasseter had hired both Holmes and Jenson onto their respective projects only because they were in pre-production by the time he had arrived to the studio, allowing him to tout his "progressive" hiring practices while allegedly making disparaging remarks behind their backs.

Ray Gunn's Retrofit Nightmare

Brad Bird, a legendary name in animation, is reportedly also seeking to distance himself from his long-gestating sci-fi noir Ray Gunn, a project which appears to be spiraling out of control. 

A script for the film, dating back to 1996, is readily available on the Internet Archive for those curious about its original vision. Our sources suggest that Lasseter has transformed Ray Gunn into "Cars 2 with Funky Mode," hinting at potential racist undertones reminiscent of the widely criticized Lemons in Cars 2.

One veteran summed up the studio mood bluntly: "Every film here feels like its being built on top of the last one's ashes. And if not those ashes, then the ones that were left behind from John's tenure at Pixar."

The Bombshell: Lasseter's Lewd Confession

But the most disturbing revelation comes from a drunken rant by John Lasseter himself. Sources claim that Lasseter admitted to "gooning" to some of the studio's female characters and commissioning artists to create "hot" versions of them. Let's not forget, we're talking about a 68-year-old man unironically using the term "gooning."

This raises serious questions about the work environment at Skydance Animation and the ethical implications of Lasseter's behavior. Whether the studio’s creative swarm can stabilize or simply devour itself remains to be seen. For now, the only thing certain is the buzz—loud, relentless, and impossible to ignore.

The Raging Hornet will keep listening.