LEE UNKRICH, one of the centerpiece creatives at the heart of Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios since its first movie “Toy Story,” said Friday he is leaving the company after 25 years. The director won two Oscars during his run, for helming “Coco” (last year) and 2010’s “Toy Story 3.” He also co-directed Pixar smashes “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Finding Nemo.”

“I’m not leaving to make films at another studio; instead, I look forward to spending much-needed time with my family and pursuing interests that have long been back-burnered,” he said in a statement.

Pete Docter, who was named chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios after co-founder John Lasseter officially departed, also weighed in on Unkrich’s exit.

“Lee arrived at Pixar as we were crafting ‘Toy Story,’ and he’s had a profound effect on all Pixar films since,” Docter said. “He literally taught us rookie filmmakers about staging, composition, and cutting. His artistry and expert craftsmanship as an editor and co-director became a major reason for the high quality of our filmmaking, and as Lee went on to direct, his ability to find the deep humor and emotion enabled him to create some of the strongest films we’ve made. He will be sorely missed — but we are enormously grateful for his tireless dedication to quality, and his ability to touch the hearts of audiences around the world.”

Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning director of “The Incredibles,” also took to Twitter to acknowledge his longtime colleague. “Thanks for all of it, Lee,” Bird tweeted in reply to Unkrich’s farewell.

Unkrich was an editor on that first “Toy Story,” as well as on “Toy Story 2” and “Coco,” which won the Animated Feature Oscar in 2018 and grossed US$807.1 million at the global box office. His other Oscar winner, “Toy Story 3,” made US$1.07 billion worldwide in 2010 — becoming the first animated film to ever go north of the US$1 billion mark in box office. “Toy Story 3” held the record as the top-grossing animated film in history until it was eclipsed by Disney’s “Frozen” in 2014.

(SD-Agencies)