Henry Selick returns to Disney

No joke – and good news!
Variety is reporting that Henry Selick has signed an exclusive long term deal to produce and direct movies for “Disney/Pixar”. Interesting to note the article refers to the studio as “Disney/Pixar” as opposed to either Disney or Pixar.

Excerpts from the Variety article:

The helmer, who’s been spotted in recent months at Pixar’s Emeryville, Calif. campus, will set up shop in the Bay Area, where he plans to write and direct features based on both original ideas and literary properties. Selick hopes to benefit from the Pixar brain trust and technology, but will continue to produce toons using his trademark stop-motion style.

“I’ll quote Dick Cook right after ‘James and the Giant Peach’ was finished. He said, ‘We don’t believe this is a viable medium anymore, and we’re not going to do it,’?” Selick told Daily Variety. “A few years later they shut down 2D. It’s great that both of those things are back.”

I think this is a win-win-win for Disney, Selick and stop motion animation. Congratulations, Henry. We’re rooting for you.