Michael Lachance Tapped to Head Miramax Family & Animation Division

Former Sony Pictures Animation VP, Michael Lachance joined Miramax as executive vice president its newly created Family & Animation division.

Lachance, a 20-year veteran of the entertainment industry, developed Hotel Transylvania, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, and the Smurfs franchise for Sony. At Miramax, he will oversee creative direction of the Family & Animation division under Bob Osher.

“Miramax has always been a home for visionary filmmakers and original storytelling, so I’m thrilled that Bill [Block, CEO] and Bob have asked me to bring those qualities to its new Family and Animation division. I’m looking forward to building a slate of amazing stories for all ages and making this a home for directors, writers and artists to create their best work,” says Lachance.

Lachance also served as a senior development executive at DreamWorks Animation. During his time on the studio’s creative team, he conceived the original idea for Kung Fu Panda, and led the development of Madagascar, Shark Tale, and Monsters vs. Aliens, as well as Shrek 2 and Shrek The Third.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.