Larry Kasanoff Leading The Cartoon Coalition

Mortal Kombat producer Larry Kasanoff has gathered a group of animation experts to launch the private venture The Cartoon Coalition to make animated movies, TVs and theme park rides.

Alongside Kasanoff, who serves as CEO, the team includes Kiran Joshi as chief animation officer, Sean Catherine Derek as chief creative officer, Jimmy Ienner as vice chairman, Joel Sloss as chief technology officer, Michael Lloyd as chief musical officer and Priyanjali Bagaria to coordinate the venture’s operations in Asia and the Middle East.

Kasanoff’s Threshold Animation Studio has made movies, TV content and theme park rides based on brands such as Spider-Man, Avengers, Justice League and Star Wars.

“This is really just an expansion of what we’ve been doing, dedicated to taking it to a bigger level,” Kasanoff said of the new venture. “We have been so fortunate to work with a group of wonderful, talented animation professionals, and now we are formalizing that to build it to new heights.”

Joshi, CEO and founder of Nepalese animation company Incessant Rain and former Disney supervisor with credits including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, will oversee all productions via his company.

“Ventures like ours ensure diverse global content, which is key to the success of the industry,” Joshi said.

Derek, an Emmy-winning animation writer whose credits include Batman, Spider-Man, Pacman, Kong King of the Apes and Tarzan and Jane, commented, “This is the most exciting team I’ve ever worked with.”

Sloss brings more than 30 years of experience in enterprise and media infrastructure at Microsoft and Walt Disney Studios to his role as chief technology officer. He is charged with integrating AI and other forms of emerging technologies into animation processes.

“Our goal is to use the latest tools to enhance the work of talented artists, which will enable compelling storytelling that takes less time to bring to audiences,” he explained.

The chief musical officer, Lloyd, has over 110 gold and platinum records and over 225 motion pictures, TV movies, TV specials and TV series to his credit. He was a music supervisor/music producer for Dirty Dancing.

Bagaria, who is coordinating the Coalition’s operations in India, Asia and the Middle East, is an associate producer of Threshold movies.

The Cartoon Coalition will attend the American Film Market (AFM) with three original feature film scripts: World’s Top Monster, Level Up and Krazed for Karaoke.

World’s Top Monster is a reality show where monsters view for top titles such as “The Grossest.” Level Up sees all of the most famous video game characters come alive on the eve of the world’s biggest esports event. In Krazed for Karaoke, wild animals find a discarded karaoke machine and start their own contest.