LOS ANGELES — Paramount Animation has named veteran animator Lino DiSalvo as its new creative director.
The announcement was made by Adam Goodman, president of the Paramount Film Group, which oversees animation for the studio.
DiSalvo moves to Paramount following a 16-year stint at Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he most recently served as head of animation on the Oscar-winning film, Frozen. In his new role, DiSalvo will be assisting Goodman and the Paramount Animation team to build a “world-class” feature animation studio.
“From its inception, we have aspired to work with the industry’s greatest artists and storytellers, and Lino’s addition to our little animation family is thrilling given his incredible talent,” said Goodman. “CG animation is still in its earliest days and his extraordinary artistry, coupled with the endless potential of the medium, makes for an incredibly exciting time to be building our own animation business, and gives us a lot of continued inspiration for the future creatively.”
DiSalvo began his career at the Walt Disney Company as a character animator. Prior to Frozen, he served as supervising animator on
Tangled and
Bolt. His other film credits include animating on
Meet The Robinsons and
Chicken Little.
Paramount Animation is in production on the original film, Monster Trucks, a hybrid of live-action and CGI animation directed by Chris Wedge (
Ice Age,
Epic). The film is set for release in May. Next up for the division is
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water from directors Paul Tibbitt (animation) and Mike Mitchell (live action), releasing in February.