There have been rumblings in the blogosphere for almost a week now, but it looks like Pixar’s first female director, Brenda Chapman, has indeed left the studio and is no longer directing Brave.
Cartoon Brew has revealed that she officially left the project last week, although reports have suggested that it’s been inevitable for a while now. There’s no mention of any reasons behind her departure, but you can bet the often-used phrase “creative differences” will crop up at some point.
Chapman is not stranger to working in this genre, having had a long and successful career in animation so far, contributing to the scripts of two of Disney’s best-loved modern work (The Lion King & Beauty and the Beast). This was to have been her second time calling the shots, having previously co-directed DreamWorks’s 1998 feature The Prince of Egypt.
Whatever the reasons behind Chapman leaving Brave, in a year which has seen Kathryn Bigelow become the first female to pick up an Oscar for direction, it’s sad that Pixar won’t be able to claim another first in what is traditionally a male-dominated industry.
*** Update *** Our friends over at Pixar Times have let us know that Disney have confirmed that Chapman has indeed stood down as director of Brave for ‘Creative Reasons’ but will continue to work at the studio. For the complete lowdown, visit them here.
