Director Chris Wedge is on fire, signing a five-year, multipicture exclusive deal with 20th Century Fox that includes a potential ICE AGE sequel and a new film ROBOTS, it was announced Thursday by Chris Meledandri, president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation. Wedge is also receiving the first ever Animation Director of the Year Award at ShoWest during a gala Tuesday, March 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada and is nominated for an Oscar. Wedge co-founded ICE AGE animation house Blue Sky Studios, which is at work on its second digitally animated film ROBOTS, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel with designs by illustrator William Joyce. Voice casting is still underway. ICE AGE has earned Fox more than $378 million worldwide and sold more than 25 million combined DVD/VHS units. Blue Sky, started in 1987 in White Plains, New York, became a subsidiary of Fox in 1997. "Over the last 10 years, Chris has built Blue Sky Studio from a small family of aspiring artists and animators into a dynamic creative environment," said Meledandri, "that blends magnificent animation artistry and cutting edge technology. We look forward to continuing to make great movies together."
