Source:http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/ves-summit-chris-meledandri-says-651101?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thr%2Fcolumns+(The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Columns)

A minion from Despicable Me.

Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination Animation and creator of such movies as Despicable Me, was interviewed recently by The Holly Wood Reporter. He answered the tough questions about his failures, successes, and where he thinks the market of animation is heading. He included some harsh replies, including his perspective that the animation market is essentially killing itself by releasing too many things too soon.

From the source article:

Addressing the volatile state of the industry, he warned that the animation community “releases too many films and there’s not enough room. They are going to cannibalize each other; we are already seeing that. We are also competing against the big live action films.”

He also talked about how the box office bomb, Titan A.E. released in 2000, helped shape his career over time. He lost 100 million with the movie and almost lost his job, but he says that it determined where he is now.  He claimed that “My faith in my film making changed on the heels ofTitan. It allowed me to pursue things that I previously would have questioned.”

A lot of people don’t really know about Titan A.E., but being the nerd I am of Don Bluth and animation, I am extremely familiar with the movie. In fact, I loved it. Chris took a hard hit with the movie when it underperformed in the box office, and perhaps it changed his perspective with how he thinks the Animation market is ‘cannibalizing’ itself. I really hope it isn’t true.

Poster from Titan A.E.’s release.