David Stainton Tapped to Run Paramount Animation

11:52 AM PDT 10/10/2011 by Daniel Miller

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Stainton has previously served as president of Walt Disney Feature Animation.

Disney veteran David Stainton has been appointed president of Paramount's new in-house animation division, which the studio launched this summer.

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Stainton begins work at Paramount Animation this week, the studio announced Monday. He will report to Adam Goodman, president of Paramount Motion Picture Group.

Stainton rose to the post of president of Walt Disney Feature Animation during his 17-year stint with Disney. While there, he handled Disney's transition to fully digital animation production and oversaw the studio's animation facility in Paris. Most recently, Stainton headed Henry's World Media, a family entertainment producer he founded in 2007.

Paramount, a unit of Viacom, announced the formation of its new animation division in July; the studio aims to release its first film in 2014. Rango -- the animated Western that was released in March and grossed more than $240 million worldwide -- was the studio's first full-owned CGI animated movie.

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“The success of Rango this year helped us recognize our potential and ability to create wonderfully imaginative animated pictures with global appeal,” Paramount Chairman Brad Grey said in a statement. “David is a proven leader with a broad portfolio of experience in animation and family entertainment. He will be a welcome addition to Adam’s highly talented team.”

To date, Paramount has largely relied on Jeffrey Katzenberg's Dreamworks Animation, with which it has a distribution deal, to fill the animation slots on its release schedule. Dreamworks Animation's deal with the studio expires at the end of 2012.

Paramount Animation has an initial target of one release per year; the film's will have budgets of up to $100 million.

In December, Paramount will release The Aventures of Tintin, an animated feature from director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson.

Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com

Twitter: @DanielNMiller