By Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur is still slated to come out on May 30, 2014, but hitting that target may be a bit difficult. According to Blue Sky Disney, co-director Bob Peterson was taken off the film and the studio is now trying to find a replacement. This decision was reportedly made by John Lasseter, Pixar’s chief creative officer. So far there is no official word on why Peterson was removed from The Good Dinosaur.
Peterson has been a Pixar stalwart since the beginning, serving as an animator and storyboard artist on Toy Story. Peterson co-directed Up with Pete Docter and co-wrote A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, and Finding Nemo. Peterson’s also done voicework on numerous Pixar films, most notably as Dug the dog in Up.
As The Playlist points out, there have been other director replacements by Pixar in the past: Ratatouille, Toy Story 2, Cars 2, and Brave. Dismissed directors Jan Pinkava (Ratatouille) and Brenda Chapman (Brave) would not work with Pixar again. It’s probably unlikely that Peterson would leave the company given that he’s been there since the begi–SQUIRREL!
[Blue Sky Disney via The Playlist]