Penney Finkelman Cox, who started Sony Pictures Animation with business partner Sandra Rabins, is exiting the post of exec VP for the burgeoning toon unit, according to Daily Variety. She will reportedly continue to work with the studio as a producer on films she shepherded into development, including Disenchanted Forest and Big Nasty.
Cox and Rabins have worked together for more than 14 years. Before joining Sony in 2002 to set up its animation unit, they were instrumental in launching DreamWorks’ toon buisness, and count The Prince of Egypt, Antz and Shrek among their credits as producers and exec producers.
Cox’s resignation leaves Rabins to oversee the day-to-day operations at Sony Pictures Animation, and raises the profile of Sony Pictures Digital president Yair Landau. “We value the enormous contributions Penney made to launch this new division and look forward to her creative voice in the area where she has distinguished herself,” Landau says in a statement.
Open Season, the very first feature from Sony Pictures Animation, debuted in the top spot at the box office in September of 2006 and went on to earn $83 million domestically and $187 million worldwide. The unit’s second pic, Surf’s Up!, is slated to hang ten in theaters this June and will be followed by works-in-progress Hotel Transylvania and an adaptation of Judi and Ron Barrett’s children’s book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Transylvania will be directed by Open Season co-director Anthony Stacchi and head of story David Feiss, while Cloudy will be helmed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the creators of the short-lived MTV animated series Clone High.
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