‘Little Nemo In Slumberland’ Feature To Be Helmed By ‘Moana’ Head Of Animation Hyrum Osmond

Little Nemo is “truly an unlimited source for astonishing adventures,” Soumache told Variety, which first reported the project. “McCay created a world made for cgi a century before the technology existed. It’s a passion project at the heart of On Animation’s philosophy: a beloved property leading to a story of emotional truth, set against a never-before-seen world.”

Osmond, 40, had worked at Disney for his entire professional career, starting on the 2008 film Bolt. In addition to heading up the animation on Moana,, he also animated on Tangled, Prep & Landing, Wreck-It Ralph, and Zootopia. On Frozen, he was the supervising animator of Olaf.

Osmond told Variety: “Little Nemo in Slumberland is a masterpiece that has influenced generations all over the world, breaking new ground in visual storytelling. I look forward to joining the amazing team at On Animation to bring this beloved work to life.”

Lino DiSalvo and former Illumination vp of development Tito Ortiz will both serve as producers on Little Nemo. In addition to guiding this film, DiSalvo and Ortiz are also in charge of creative development at the studio, and will lead the company’s efforts to develop projects in-house at its Montreal studio.

Besides Osmond and DiSalvo, others who have left Disney recently include directors Nathan Greno (Tangled), Leo Matsuda (Inner Workings), John Kahrs (Paperman), and Patrick Osborne (Feast), as well as Tangled animation supervisor Clay Kaytis.