20th Century Fox Animation 
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS 
RIO 
Vanessa Morrison, longtime head of Twentieth Century Fox Film's animation division, is moving into a new role at the studio. She has been named president of Fox Family, a newly created division that will develop films aimed at younger moviegoers and their parents. They include both animated films and films with live action elements. Her appointment is effective immediately, and she will report to Chairman and CEO Stacey Snider and Vice Chairman Emma Watts. Fox said it will announce a...
Vanessa
Morrison
Fox’s animation boss has successfully ramped up the studio’s profile and output and raised the creative bar since taking over the reins in 2007. With the 2016 release “Ice Age: Collision Course,” the $408 million-grossing fifth installment in the franchise, the popular “Ice Age” series has amassed more than $3.2 billion worldwide to date, making it the highest-grossing animated franchise, internationally.
Morrison, a huge animation fan herself, also oversaw 2015’s 3D CGI “The Peanuts Movie,” which grossed $246 million worldwide, and, along with Reel FX Animation Studios, she oversaw the critically acclaimed 2014 release “The Book of Life,” produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez. She’s also a key player in the success of Fox’s “Rio” franchise (the films, directed by Carlos Saldanha, have grossed nearly a billion dollars worldwide).
She oversaw the 3D animated comedy-adventure “Epic,” which was directed by Chris Wedge and released in 2013, and the critically acclaimed “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” She contributed to the $295 million worldwide success of “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”
Up next for Fox Animation and Morrison, who started as an intern at the studio, is “Ferdinand,” coming out late 2017 from director Saldanha, and “Pigeon Impossible” set for 2019. Both are in production at Blue Sky Studios.
