Vanessa Morrison Renews Deal as Fox Animation President
Fox Animation Studios President Vanessa Morrison has renewed her deal with Fox Filmed Entertainment, the studio said Wednesday.
The news comes days after "Ice Age: Continental Drift" topped the domestic box office taking in $46.6 million. The fourth film in Fox's Pleistocene era animated franchise has been an even bigger hit internationally, driving its worldwide total to more than $380 million.
Fox also said that Brian Keane, an executive vice president and chief operating officer at Blue Sky Studios, a subsidiary of Fox Animation, has re-upped with the company. Keane will continue to report to Morrison.
"Vanessa and her teams at Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios set the bar higher with each picture, and the results speak for themselves," Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman said in a joint statement. "We couldn't be happier that she will continue to work her magic in the years ahead."
Other hits under Morrison's tenure include "Rio," a talking bird adventure that earned more than $486 million at the worldwide box office, and "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!," a children's book adaptation that brought in nearly $300 million globally.
On deck is "Epic," a 3D action-adventure comedy that features the voices of Beyoncé Knowles, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson and Amanda Seyfried.
Morrison was named President of Fox Animation Studios in 2007 after serving as executive vice president at 20th Century Fox. She also previously served as senior vice president of production and vice president of production at the studio, working on such films as "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Dr. Doolittle 2."
Keane joined Blue Sky in 1999 as the chief financial officer and in 2002 was promoted to general manager. In 2007, he became the studio's COO.
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