On May 13, 2022 (which “happened” to be Friday the 13th), Skydance Animation dropped a much-anticipated trailer for its upcoming animated movie, “Luck.” Running just over a minute and a half, the trailer has already racked up close to five million views on YouTube. Since this is John Lasseter’s first animated film with Skydance Animation, it’s understandable that there’s a lot of interest in this new flick for all ages.
John Lasseter is, of course, the creative genius behind the world’s most successful digital animated movies, including, “The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille,” and dozens more. Many of his films have been so incredibly popular with kids and adults that they have spawned lines of clothing, video games, toys, and accessories that have made millions upon millions of dollars for the studios. Based on first looks at the trailer for “Luck,” it’s highly likely that John Lasseter will be able to add another movie to his collection of box office wins.
“Luck” From Skydance and Lasseter
The trailer is hosted by Bob, a black cat voiced by fan-favorite, Simon Pegg. Bob the cat schools the audience in “luck,” first explaining that in certain parts of the world, such as Scotland, black cats are considered to be lucky, not unlucky. Pawing his way through the “Land of Luck,” Bob passes workers that include lab-coated piglets, leprechauns, bunnies, and others who are busy behind the scene.
As Bob makes his way over, around and under boxes of traditional lucky and unlucky paraphernalia, like four-leaf clover seeds, lottery tickets, broken mirrors, horseshoes, and the like, he explains how these cute characters work to create the lucky and unlucky moments that make up everyday life. There’s the “Good Luck Department,” the “Bad Luck Department,” and finally, Bob explains how the place works so well because no human has ever stepped inside the “Land of Luck.” That is until Bob’s lively discourse is interrupted by none other than a human interloper, a teen girl who immediately asks, “Uh, where am I?” And so it begins…
The plot of “Luck” is intriguing. A young teen girl, named Sam Greenfield, stumbles into the Land of Luck. Already considered the unluckiest person alive, Sam aligns with the magical creatures in the Land of Luck to try to turn her friend’s bad luck into good luck. In the process, Sam hopes to turn her own bad luck around.
“Luck” represents a partnership between Apple TV+ and Skydance Animation. Luck is set to be the first feature-length film from Apple TV+ and Skydance Animation’s collaboration. “Blush,” a short film made by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Joe Mateo, was their previous release (Big Hero 6). “Spellbound,” directed by Vicky Jenson and set to be released in November, will be their second picture for the AppleTV+ streaming service. In the future, “The Search for WondLa,” based on the 2010 novel of the same name, will be produced by the studio as part of this same partnership arrangement.
Skydance Press
The press surrounding the upcoming animated movie has been overwhelmingly positive. First look footage is scheduled to be unveiled at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival’s Work in Progress between June 13th and June 18th. It’s already been heavily covered by numerous media outlets, in part because of John Lasseter’s involvement and in part due to the A-list of celebrities supplying the voices for this kids’ animated movie.
Movie-goers can look forward to hearing the iconic voices of Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Flula Borg (of “Pitch Perfect”), Colin O’Donoghue (of “Once Upon a Time”), and more. “Luck” is directed by Peggy Holmes, whose filmography includes mega-hits, “Little Nemo,” “Ladykillers,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Wayne’s World,” “Newsies,” “Hocus Pocus,” “Little Mermaid,” plus dozens more recognizable movie successes. Producers include David Ellison, who has previously worked with John Lasseter, David Eisenmann, Dana Goldberg, and of course, the illustrious John Lasseter himself.
About John Lasseter
In January 2019, John Lasseter was designated the president of Skydance Media’s animation subsidiary, Skydance Animation. Lasseter brings decades of directing and producing expertise to the role, with credits like “Up,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” and “Toy Story 2,” among others. With “Luck” and other films presently in production, he is already propelling Skydance Animation to the top echelon of animated film studios.
“Luck” drops exclusively on AppleTV+ on August 5th, 2022. Don’t forget to mark your calendars — and good luck!