Netflix Inks Deal With Skydance Animation For Original Movies Spellbound, Pookoo, Ray Gunn

Spellbound Netflix

Netflix has signed a deal with Luck studio Skydance Animation to bring its back catalogue exclusively to Netflix, as well as release upcoming movies Spellbound, Pookoo and Ray Gunn on the streaming service.

The two have already worked together on The Adam Project, Heart of Stone, The Old Guard, and Spy Kids: Armageddon as well as FUBAR, Altered Carbon and Grace and Frankie.

Last week it was reported that Netflix was dropping internal animation in favour of deals like this - using outside production companies to create original features for the streaming service.

The first movie in the deal, Spellbound, is directed by Shrek and Shark Tale’s Vicky Jenson, and stars Rachel Zegler, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, John Lithgow, Jenifer Lewis, Nathan Lane, and Tituss Burgess.

Spellbound “follows the adventures of Ellian, the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents, the King and Queen of Lumbria, into monsters,” according to a press release.

The second release will be Pookoo, directed by Tangled’s Nathan Greno, a movie about a woodland creature and a bird who swap bodies and go on magical adventures.

Also in the pipeline is Ray Gunn, a movie from The Incredibles' and Ratatouille’s Brad Bird, and an untitled movie based on Jack and the Beanstalk.

Skybound’s most recent animated movie was Luck, released on Apple TV, but it wasn’t particularly well-received. Netflix will be hoping its new projects with Skybound will find an audience, especially as the service has decided to hike subscription prices across the US, UK and in parts of Europe.