Sony Pictures Animation has promoted Karen Toliver to the role of executive vice president (EVP) of creative.
Toliver, who joined the studio in 2017 as SVP of creative development, will be responsible for the creative supervision of a number of upcoming features for the studio, from inception to script, and through production. She will also be looking over recruiting for key storytelling talent, discovering and acquiring new creative material and IP aligned with Sony Pictures Animation’s vision, including original concepts, books, comics, video games, shorts, websites, and toys.
As the Deadline reports, Sony Pictures Animation president Kristine Belson said, “Toliver is an outstanding and deeply experienced executive with a unique ability to bring out the best in our storytellers. At Sony Animation, we are a community designed to support filmmakers bringing big, bold films to the world, and we are thrilled to have her as a leader in this quest.”
The animation studio lately announced an extensive slate of animated feature films and TV projects during a big “reveal” at the Annecy Animation Festival. The lineup consists of two Genndy Tartakovsky films including Fixed, the studio’s first R-Rated film, a new Boondocks TV series and anthology based on an Anthony Bourdain graphic novel, which are currently in development.
Prior to joining Sony Pictures Animation, Toliver spent 10 years at Fox Animation, where she supervised the production of the Rio film franchise and the latest three films in the Ice Age series, which grossed a combined $3.1 billion at the worldwide box office. She also spearheaded the Oscar-nominated Ferdinand. During her tenure as a production executive at Walt Disney Animation Studios, she worked on such films as Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. Sher began her career as an assistant at Walt Disney Pictures working on the Mighty Ducks franchise.