Jellyfish Pictures Hires DreamWorks Alum

Archie Donato has joined the Jellyfish Pictures animation features team as creative director of animation.

Donato brings over 30 years of experience to the role, 17 of which were spent with DreamWorks Animation. Most recently head of visual effects at DNEG Animation, Donato has worked on film franchises such as Star Wars, The Terminator, Godzilla and Kung Fu Panda, with his most recent credits on Entergalactic and Nimona.

In his new role, Donato will work closely with senior creative teams across all of Jellyfish Pictures’ animation productions. This addition to the senior team follows the recent appointment of two other senior executives in the animation division: Chrissy Metge, who joined as executive producer of animation, and Louis Flores, as visual effects supervisor.

Jellyfish Pictures is currently in production on an animated series for Netflix EMEA/Lime entitled Wereworld, based on a book series by Curtis Jobling, as well as an adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s children’s books for Netflix. It has also recently started production on a new feature animation for a Hollywood studio.

Natalie Llewellyn, managing director of animation and originals, said: “Creative excellence is the beating heart of our business, and this high-profile addition to our senior creative team is testament to our commitment to deliver ground-breaking, top-quality feature animation for our clients. Archie brings dynamism, passion and a wealth of artistic talent and front-line experience to the role. We’re thrilled to welcome him on board.”

Donato commented: “I am thrilled to join Jellyfish Pictures as creative director of animation. Jellyfish Pictures has an ever-growing team of talented artists, as well as very supportive and motivated leadership that strives for excellence while maintaining an artist-friendly environment. It is very exciting to be a part of this journey to deliver world-class quality work for our partners and audiences.”