In 2025, animation features ruled the box-office, from long-awaited sequels (“Zootopia 2”) to original streaming megahits (“KPop Demon Hunters“). Behind the scenes, the success of these seasoned directors and newfound talents reveals an ongoing audience appetite for bold artistic choices, compelling narratives and, most importantly, the animated medium. 

Empowering these creators is the daily job of United Talent Agency (UTA) teams. The only major talent agency with a dedicated animation division, UTA has the largest and most robust roster of animation clients, including Academy Award winners Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”, “Ray Gunn”), Maggie Kang (“KPop Demon Hunters”), Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”, “Zootopia 2”) and many more. 

According to the agency, movies directed by UTA animation clients have grossed more than $25 billion in the worldwide box office, with success stories such as Phil Lord & Chris Miller’s “Spider-Verse” franchise now hailed as game-changers by the entire entertainment industry. 

Jason Burns, partner and co-head of MP Lit, who leads the department and personally represents Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, along with writer Matthew Fogel (“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”) and many more, has been following the rise of animation at UTA for many years. 

Ahead of Annecy, Variety spoke exclusively with Burns about these tides, and the global push of original animation ranging from surprise Academy Award Winner “Flow” to the now billion-dollar franchise that has become “KPop Demon Hunters”. 

2025 was a watershed moment for animation worldwide, both in terms of recognition and box office revenues. How does UTA fit in this evolution, and how do you discuss this kind of shifting landscape with your clients?

Jason Burns: I think it’s a fantastic time for animation. At the center of this shift is the filmmaker, who now has much more authority and a stronger voice. This applies not only to original storytelling, but also on how filmmakers are positioned within the animation medium, and how deals are structured.

From our perspective, we see that a lot of this is driven by a more vibrant, competitive marketplace. 

For years, the industry was dominated solely by Disney, then Pixar and later Dreamworks Animation. Today, virtually every major studio needs a dedicated animation practice. This healthier ecosystem allows talent to act as free agents rather than locked-in studio employees, driving up their leverage in deals and bringing a level of reverence to animation filmmakers that has historically only been seen in live-action. And for me, it is great to watch this change happen and to be a part of it.

You mentioned a shift in status for animation directors, one that has been made very clear by the recent announcement of Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans’ new, exclusive multi-year writing-directing deal with Netflix across animation. Could you share other concrete examples of how deal-making is becoming more filmmaker-driven in this industry?

The traditional animation deal historically treated you like a standard employee. Back then, you weren’t even paid through a loan-out corporation and the mindset was very much that the studio made the movie, rather than individual creators.

As the landscape has grown more competitive, some changes have actually been driven by the studios’ live-action divisions. To lure top talent away, they have had to adopt live-action practices because that is what filmmakers are used to. Instead of standard employment contracts, we are now seeing big overall deals, first-look deals, and multi-movie deals such as the one UTA helped secure for the “KPop Demon Hunters” creators.

This environment allows filmmakers to choose the best place to work based on their connection to the material, while agents ensure they get the best possible financial package.

Beyond that, you also have to look at the metrics. On average, animated features tend to perform better than live-action movies. They heavily drive crucial secondary businesses like consumer products and theme parks, and we’re also seeing a massive trend where animated IP becomes the foundation for highly successful live-action remakes. First at Disney, and now at DreamWorks and other studios. IPs that have become incredibly valuable. And because of this high success ratio, animation is one of the few mediums where studios still feel comfortable launching original stories on a massive budget. It is a primary engine for generating lasting IP.

Circling back to original stories, you’ve represented Phil Lord & Chris Miller personally for many years, helping them build a hybrid career between live-action hits and trailblazing, globally revered animated features. How did this experience influence your approach as an agent, and how did it influence UTA’s strategy regarding animation feature filmmakers?

I learned an immense amount from representing them, starting when we got them the opportunity to write and direct “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” It’s during that time that I fell in love with the animation community and the whole process of storyboarding. It made me realize that these creators have a distinct, authoritative voice and deserve to be represented with the same weight as high-profile live-action directors.

Phil and Chris always wanted to work in both mediums, because they never viewed animation as just a stepping stone to live-action. While they were working on the live-action film “21 Jump Street,” “The Lego Movie” was presented to them. 

And because Warner Bros. did not have an entrenched, rigid animation infrastructure at the time, we were able to structure a very non-traditional deal. It gave them the flexibility to hire a co-director of their choice (another client of mine, Chris McKay) and allowed for a flexible production schedule. Because of that, they were able to pull off a truncated schedule making “21 Jump Street”, “The Lego Movie, and “22 Jump Street” almost back-to-back.

Representing them also taught me the importance of intentional IP and original storytelling. They intentionally produced “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” to champion a new filmmaker (Academy Award Nominee Mike Rianda) and to give the studio confidence in original concepts. Even when they tackle existing IP or sequels, they undergo a deliberate creative process by asking: Why are we telling this story, what do we have to say, and why now? When done right, those projects feel like original movies because the creative approach is completely fresh.

Which leads us back to ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ a massive breakout hit last year. Can you walk us through how UTA dealt with that success?

It comes down to the same principle. Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans delivered a film that resonated on the highest level – whether you look at its streaming metrics, theatrical release, or its music performance on Spotify. They birthed a culture-moving film and deserved to be recognized at the highest financial tier for that achievement.

When you push for deals like that, you often run into traditional studio precedents and historical boundaries. It takes committed clients and a very specific, strategic agency approach to break through those ceilings. To the credit of Netflix and Sony, they stepped up and met the market value.

At the same time last year, sequels like ‘Zootopia 2’ were also huge hits. How do you find balance between these two different paths, and how do you push for your clients’ original, heartfelt stories even when dealing with franchises?

Every project requires a bespoke strategy regarding budget, target audience, and finding the right distribution partner. When it comes to sequels, it circles back to what I learned from Lord and Miller: there has to be a definitive “why now?”

At UTA, we also represent Andrew Stanton. When I look at what they are doing with the “Toy Story 5” concept, it’s an incredibly resonant, massive idea to re-approach that beloved franchise today. That kind of creative swing makes a sequel feel like an original film. You get the comfort of characters you already care about, but you are at the same time delivering a completely fresh narrative perspective. If you can find that unique angle, it is always worth doing.

Looking at recent and upcoming projects, like Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ by Daniel Chong and Brad Bird’s upcoming ‘Ray Gunn,’ how do you feel about the future of the animation industry right now?

I feel great about the business because the movies are connecting with audiences. There is currently a healthy cadence between original films and purposeful sequels, and I am incredibly excited for Brad Bird’s “Ray Gunn”. 

I also look at Daniel Chong’s work on “Hoppers” as an incredible success story. Pixar has a wonderful, self-contained creative ecosystem, but it is historically very rare for an outside creator to walk into that studio with an original pitch and see it through to fruition. It is a massive testament to Daniel’s talent and Pixar’s openness to great storytelling, no matter the source. 

As for Ray Gunn, it is a deeply personal project Brad Bird has cared about for a long time. Just looking at the artwork, it is distinct, visually stunning, and could only come from his mind. Both of these projects are fantastic examples of auteur-driven filmmaking thriving within the studio system.

Looking back at your own career, what is a specific success story or milestone that stands out to you?

To me, securing the film “Project Hail Mary” for Lord and Miller is definitely a major milestone. Even though it is based on a best-selling novel by Andy Weir, from a filmmaking perspective, it represents a massive, brave creative swing. If you describe the plot out loud, it’s a concept that would scare a lot of traditional buyers. It represents a beautiful maturation of Phil and Chris’s live-action filmmaking on the highest level.

The other proud milestone is launching the Spider-Verse franchise and winning an Academy Award for it. I represent many of the incredibly talented people who worked on those films, and I am incredibly proud of how those movies completely redefined the visual style, look, and feel of what a major studio animated movie could be. It fundamentally changed the industry’s conversation around visual aesthetic and auteur point-of-view.

To wrap up, increased market competition is clearly improving financial economics for both diversity and filmmakers. Can you elaborate on how UTA’s approach to deals has evolved to facilitate this?

While I can’t share specific internal figures, sophisticated representation has made a monumental impact on ensuring animation filmmakers are finally paid what the marketplace demands.

Part of that leverage comes from having a multi-buyer marketplace rather than having just one or two buyers. But it also comes down to sophisticated deal-making that forces studio business affairs to acknowledge just how critical animation is to their bottom line. These films drive entire studio ecosystems, and the filmmakers behind them deserve to be rewarded at the highest tier of talent, especially when they deliver hits. 

Because of that aggressive representation, we have successfully moved the decimal point on these deals –doubling, tripling, and completely transforming what these creators are earning historically.