Rich Moore to Join Sony Pictures Animation

Rich Moore to Join Sony Pictures Animation

April 8th, 2019

Jerry Beck

Oscar-winning animation director Rich Moore will be joining Sony Pictures Animation to develop, produce and direct original animated features. Moore will also be be available to act in an advisory capacity with ongoing feature film and series-based projects at the rapidly-expanding studio.

“Rich is a world-class storyteller and he brings with him a wealth of experience and a unique sensibility for story, comedy and heart,” said Kristine Belson, President, Sony Pictures Animation. “We are so excited for him to join our team of filmmakers at Sony Pictures Animation as we continue to develop a slate of animated features that are big, bold, and will take audiences by surprise.”

“Sony Animation has emerged as a major player among animation studios,” says Moore. “Their vision to give filmmakers and artists the freedom to take risks, and to really push the envelope when it comes to visual style and breadth of storytelling is impressive, and I can’t wait to be a part of shaping the studio’s future.”

Moore directed Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2016 Oscar-winning feature “Zootopia” with fellow director Byron Howard. His directorial debut with Disney Animation was the 2012 Oscar-nominated feature “Wreck-It Ralph,” and he most recently directed the 2018 Oscar-nominated follow-up “Ralph Breaks the Internet” with fellow director Phil Johnston.

Moore was one of the original three directors on “The Simpsons,” directing numerous episodes over the series’ first five seasons, including the Emmy Award-winning “Homer vs. Lisa and the Eighth Commandment.” Moore also oversaw the creative development and production of Matt Groening’s “Futurama.”

Moore’s other credits include Ralph Bakshi’s “Mighty Mouse – The New Adventures,” Gracie Films’ “The Critic,” the Warner Bros. theatrical short “Duck Dodgers – Attack of the Drones,” the CBS prime-time pilot “Vinyl Café,” Comedy Central’s “Drawn Together,” Mad TV’s “Spy vs. Spy” and Fox’s “Sit Down, Shut Up.”

“Ten years is a long time – but when you’re working on incredible films with people you love as I have these last ten years, that time flies by, ” says Moore of his time at Disney. “I will always cherish my days at the Walt Disney Animation Studios and I leave with the faith that the studio is in good hands. I remain a lifelong Disney Animation fan and look forward to the films they’ll create in the future.”

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.