previous page
TOC
Features
A Real Disney Heroine Jennifer Lee, the CCO of Disney and the acclaimed director of the Frozen movies, discusses her amazing career, priorities, leadership style and guilty pleasures in this exclusive interview. By Ramin Zahed
A
lot has happened since Jennifer Lee took over as Disney Animation’s Chief Creative Officer exactly four years ago. The talented, Oscar-winning director of Frozen and its sequel has done a remarkable job of keeping the studio on the right creative track after former CCO John Lasseter exited due to allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior toward women. Originally trained in live-action filmmaking, Lee has been a passionate advocate of powerful storytelling and has overseen the studio’s expanded content creation for Disney+. Not only did she manage to take the reins and keep the employees happy during a very challenging period, she juggled her other duties as director of the hugely successful Frozen sequel, which
quickly became the most successful animated movie of all time with a remarkable $145 billion take at the box office. This month, Lee will be awarded an honorary Cristal at the Annecy Festival in France. In the words of festival director Marcel Jean, “Jennifer Lee is a model for all young women (and men) with aspirations of pursuing a career in animation film. Her accomplishments are exceptional in terms of scriptwriting, directing and creatively leading Disney Animation. We can confirm that there is a before and after Jennifer Lee in the way that women creators are perceived in our industry.” We were thrilled when Lee accepted our request for an exclusive interview on this occasion:
First of all, congrats on being the recipient of an Annecy Honorary Cristal. What does winning this award mean to you? Receiving the Honorary Cristal at Annecy means so much to me. Animation is such a complex, inventive and evolving artform, to be recognized amongst this incredible global animation community is such an honor. Animation has been a part of my heart my entire life, and it’s a dream to be a part of the Annecy Festival where the artistry, imagination and groundbreaking technology of animation are shared and so wonderfully celebrated, as they should be. Animation is truly a special artform, where imagination and collaboration inspire one another and create stories, char-
www.animationmagazine.net 16
TOC
june|july 22
previous page
