Jared Bush Named Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios
Disney has announced that Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jared Bush has been appointed Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, effective immediately. Bush will report to Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman. Meanwhile, Jennifer Lee, who has been serving as CCO, will be returning to filmmaking to focus on the Frozen franchise.
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Jennifer Lee, who has served as Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios since 2018, will now focus on directing and writing Frozen 3 and co-writing Frozen 4 with Marc Smith. Additionally, she will executive produce Frozen 4. With over three decades of experience at Disney, Clark Spencer, the Oscar-winning producer of Encanto and Zootopia,will continue in his role as President of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
“Jared Bush is an incredible filmmaker and a talented executive who’s been a prominent creative force at Disney Animation for the past decade, and I am thrilled that he’ll be taking the reins of this storied studio,” Bergman said. “I also want to thank Jennifer Lee for her passionate leadership of the studio over the past several years — she’s made an indelible mark on both Disney Animation and the industry. I know she has so many more stories to tell, and there is truly no one better suited to oversee the continuation of the beloved story of Frozen.”
“I am so deeply grateful to Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their faith in me, and thankful to Jennifer for her leadership and for her generous support as she embarks on the next chapters of Frozen,” said Bush. “Disney Animation is home to some of the greatest stories and characters of the past century, and I’m so excited to work with all of our filmmakers, artists, and Disney Animation team members as we shape the future of this legendary studio together.”
As Chief Creative Officer, Jared Bush will oversee the creative direction of Walt Disney Animation Studios, including films, series, and related projects. With over a decade of experience at the studio, Bush has made significant contributions to some of Disney’s most beloved animated films.
Bush’s impressive resume includes an Academy Award for Encanto, which he co-directed and co-wrote. He also executive produced the Oscar-nominated Raya and the Last Dragon in 2022. Prior to that, he co-directed and co-wrote the Oscar-winning Zootopia in 2016 and wrote the original Oscar-nominated film Moana.
Bush is currently working on Moana 2 as a writer and executive producer and is directing and writing Zootopia 2, set for release in Fall 2025.
