Netflix Doesn’t Understand The True Potential Of Animation, And It Sure Isn’t Boss Baby
The animation industry can’t catch a break lately. While thousands across the industry are pushing for a #NewDeal4Animation we have the Oscars deeming the medium as nothing but a plaything for children while major bodies like Disney are disrespecting the agency of their own creatives by supporting inhuman anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Now Netflix has piled on by enacting mass layoffs across its animation department and pulling the shutters down on multiple productions as its focus narrows onto properties it doesn’t even own.
A new report from The Wrap delves into the very troubling climate at Netflix Animation, revealing that director of creative leadership and development for original animation Phil Lynda alongside several of their team were let go this week, marking a change in strategy for the streaming giant as it abandons projects in favour of reliable shows and properties with guaranteed returns. This means Boss Baby is the big thing now, which ironically Netflix is licensing from DreamWorks in order to possess content instead of producing it outright.
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What was once viewed as a bastion for talented creators with heightened budgets and increased creative control has become a shell of what it used to be, with many big hitters returning to Disney, Cartoon Network, or even rival streaming services Apple TV or HBO Max. The times are changing, and it sucks. Alongside Lynda being let go the cancellation of Bone, Lauren Foist’s Toil and Trouble, and Roald Dahl’s The Twits have also come to pass. We’ll see the latter return as a feature film, but it seems that other titles must find a home elsewhere, as Tuca & Bertie was forced to, or risk being
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