John Lasseter’s Skydance Animation Names Peggy Holmes New Director of ‘Luck’

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A new director has been hired on the flagship feature film at Skydance Animation, a division of David Ellison’s company run by former Pixar chief John Lasseter.

Peggy Holmes, a name in the animation space who has directed and choreographed for years at Disney, has replaced Alessandro Carloni. Skydance and Carloni parted ways thanks to creative differences, insiders said.

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“Peggy is an incredible creative talent and has already been a huge asset to our growing animation studio over the past year. We’re so happy to have her leading the team creating Luck. She has the perfect mix of experience and artistic vision to bring this exciting project to the screen,” said Skydance Animation president Holly Edwards in a statement.

Another individual close to the company noted production has not yet hit its stride — though “Luck” has faced other roadblocks on the way to completion. Actress Emma Thompson publicly exited as voice lead in protest of Lasseter’s hire, which was announced on the heels of his ouster from Pixar over accusations of misconduct.

Holmes previously directed two of the most successful Disneytoon Studio “Tinker Bell” films in their award-winning Fairies franchise. She’s also served as a choreographer on various films including “The Country Bears,” “A Very Brady Sequel,” “Hocus Pocus” and “Newsies.” She is an Emmy winner for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for her work on “Fame L.A.,” and counts other TV credits in “American Idol” and Bette Midler’s “Gypsy.”

Holmes has also done tours in live music, as an associate director on runs with Barbra Streisand and Michael Jackson. She is currently engaged in an overall development deal with Skydance.

“Luck” is produced by Skydance Animation and Paramount Pictures in conjunction with Spain’s Ilion Animation Studios, and will release through Paramount Pictures. The film is described as “a comedy that pulls back the curtain on the millennia-old battle between the organizations of good luck and bad luck that secretly affects our daily lives.”

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