Chris deFaria has been named President of DreamWorks Feature Animation Group (DWA).
deFaria has been President, Animation and Innovative Technology at Warner Bros. Pictures for the past four years, creating the Warner Animation Group. Part of his remit there was to investigate the application of emerging technologies for Warner’s feature films.
In his new role for DWA he will oversee all aspects of the studio’s feature animation business, reporting directly to Universal Pictures Chairman, Donna Langley.
DreamWorks Animation was bought by Comcast’s NBCUniversal in a $4bn deal in April 2016.
Chris Meledandri, Illumination Entertainment Founder and CEO, will continue to act as Senior Advisor to DWA. Bonnie Arnold, President of DreamWorks Feature Animation, will continue in her role reporting into deFaria.
Commenting on the appointment, Langley said, “Chris deFaria is ideally suited for this role, ” commented Langley. “He has excellent creative instincts, a strong business sense, deep relationships and most importantly, a proven ability to harness technology to push the boundaries of animation and innovative, hybrid filmmaking. We are grateful to have Chris Meledandri as Senior Advisor so that we can benefit from his unparalleled expertise while he continues to build the Illumination brand.”
deFaria added, “Having the opportunity to shape the future of DreamWorks Animation and build on its storied legacy is an unbelievable honor. I can’t wait to get started with Donna and Chris, as well as Bonnie and the incredibly talented artists at DWA, on bringing more iconic stories and characters to audiences around the globe.”
