Academy Award winner Lee Unkrich who has awards for Films such as Toy Story and Coco has decided to depart from the PIXAR studios after 25 to spend more time with his family
Unkrich joined Pixar in 1994 after working as an assistant editor in television on “Silk Stalkings” and “Renegade.” He served as editor on Pixar’s first film, “Toy Story,” then co-directed “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters Inc.” and “Finding Nemo.” He was the sole director on 2010’s “Toy Story 3” and shared an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton.Unkrich informed Pixar employees on Friday of his decision. “I’m not leaving to make films at another studio; instead, I look forward to spending much-needed time with my family and pursuing interests that have long been back-burned.”
Lasseter, Pixar’s co-founder, departed the company in late 2017 amid accusations of sexual harassment and was hired earlier this month at Skydance Animation. Pete Docter, who succeeded Lasseter as Pixar’s chief creative officer, offered a tribute to Unkrich on Friday. His work will always be remembered and he will undoubtedly be one of the best storytellers of our generation. His artistry and expert craftsmanship as an editor and co-director became a major reason for the high quality of Pixar’s filmmaking, and as Lee went on to direct, his ability to find the deep humor and emotion enabled him to create some of the strongest films made by Pixar
