What Should Disney Do with Blue Sky Studios? (Patreon Question)

I share my thoughts on Blue Sky Studios shutting down and what Disney should have done instead of closing the home of "Ice Age" and "Rio."

Special Thanks to my Patreon Supporters! Clayton, Ryan, Anthony, Zoobomafoo, Steven, Lance, Andrew L., Benjamin, Lamont, Joey, Joshua, Justin, Sonia, Graeme, Marco, Micah, TheCinematicBandicoot, Diver, Graham, Andrew S., Morgan and Xavier!

[thexboxgamer]

RIP Blue Sky Studios you will be missed but shall live on, under America's changing scene.
1987-2021

[RaptorTheWild]

They’ve also shut down Junction Point Studios, the gaming studio behind the Epic Mickey games.

[benjaminfenty]

If it were at all possible, I would've kept Blue Sky open for 1 more year just so they could finish Nimona. But it is what it is. The best thing we can do now is hope all 450 employees find work soon.

[JaredGriffiths]

I agree they should've sold Blue Sky to another company instead of shutting it down.

[maniacaldude]

When I heard that announcement regarding Blue Sky Studios' closure, one of my immediate thoughts was, "What would Mr. Coat have to say about this?"

It really sucks that this happened, though. There are other things that Disney could have done about Blue Sky than just shutting them down.

[austinreed]

Has Disney become an EA-like studio killer? First the satellite studios to WDAS, then DisneyToon, then these guys.

[eltonyescas]

I really love Blue Sky Studios. They've gone far over the years. They had a lot left in store. It's too bad that Blue Sky Studios has been axed.

[MP-nqht]

The thing is, while Disney wasn’t interested in keeping Blue Sky the studio anymore, they did still want to keep their IP’s, and probably would not have been able to sell it if the studio’s IP’s weren’t going with it.

[thexboxgamer]

Great explanation of this very serious and controversial topic. I was so sad to see BlueSky Studios shut down. They were very talented people who produced Animation that was of top notch quality. I loved the Rio franchise especially. It's unfortunate but we all have losses in life. Instead let's be grateful for what BlueSky introduced into the CGI film franchise.

[DennisTamayo]

The studio will be defunct this month.

[Sandlot]

very interesting and let's hope so for the future!

[adamkaunfer]

At the very least, they should’ve let Nimona finish production, even if it became a Disney+ or Hulu exclusive.

Since Disney retains the Blue Sky IP, what do you think they could/should do with them, besides the Ice Age spinoff starring Buck?

[finalmountain]

Very nice presentation, we can all agree that Blue Sky should not have been shut down. As a student of English and Media and a fan of western animation I appreciate all 8 of Blue Sky’s Original Films. They all have distinct approaches to animation giving of different tones and empathetic characterisation and messages.

Ice Age serves as funny and touching story about sticking together in the face of prehistoric conflict.

The World Building In Robots is such an awesome approach to animation in how it symbolises ideology while making you die of laughter.

Horton Hears A Who is my lesser favourite of these films. However it is the only Dr Suess film I appreciate for how it brings the Dr Suess artstyle, trippyness, character basis and the powerful message to animation.

Rio is my personal favourite there is so detail that I discover more of ever time I rewatch this movie. The outstanding animation the wonderful soundtrack, the heartfelt love story, the Brazilian atmosphere, the symbolised spirit of birds, the environmental message and so much more comes together as an absolute treasure.

Epic dives into a more serious style and theme. There are many great elements in this film but as hole the journey of MK through this war epic leading to a bond with her father is an experience.

The Peanuts Movie brings the beloved cartoon to cinema excellently but alone it is such a wholesome and charming film especially in the eyes of Charlie Brown.

Ferdinand is such silly yet touching approach to animation. Another one of my lesser favourites but telling a story about making love not war is something I enjoy.

Spies In Disguise really brought the spy theme to animation. The animation style, action, comedy and heartwarming bond between Lance and Walter is almost everything you could ask for in an animated spy film.

I wish this studio had stayed but on the bright side, I heard Nimona has been uncanceld and will be released in 2023. I’ll be ready for that.

[NylaTheWolf]

There’s an idealistic part of me that’s hoping that a company will be interested in buying Blue Sky Studios, at least for the Nimona movie.

[tayloredwards]

It's a shame what happened to Blue Sky could I used to really enjoy their movies.

[Kittenfox_]

I heard that Disney tried to shop Nimona to other studios before Blue Sky Studios closed.

[Maddybo]

They should use it as their 3rd animation studio because they needed one

[kadino]

The part about all this that hurts me the most is the cancellation of Nimona. An animated film said to have a unique animation style and LGBTQ+ reputation being canned so far in development? I can't think of a more disappointing story if I tried.

I really hope someway somehow this project COULD survive the shut down and be finished and released on like Netflix or something. It would be a mind numbingly stupid decision to let a film that was 75% done go to waste.

[jarts]

What if disney bring bluey sky studios back in 2021

[joshuagiraffe]

Yeah; I, too, was appalled when I found out that Disney was shutting down Blue Sky Studios. In fact, a basic thought I had when I read about it was..."Yet another reason why the Disney-Fox merger is terrible news for Hollywood!"

You're absolutely correct; selling Blue Sky to another Studio would have been a far better choice! As you said, here's hoping that the talented artists at Blue Sky find work at other Animation Studios soon!