Toy Story 3, Coco director Lee Unkrich leaves Pixar after 25 years: Time for new adventures

Lee Unkrich, director of Pixar's Oscar-winning films Toy Story 3 and Coco, has decided to leave the animation studio after 25 years.Unkrich joined Pixar in 1994 after working as an assistant editor in television on Silk Stalkings and Renegade. He served as editor on Pixar's first feature, 1995's Toy Story, then co-directed Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo.[caption id="attachment_5928771" align="alignnone" width="825"]

Lee Unkrich. Image from Facebook[/caption]He was the sole director on 2010's Toy Story 3 and shared an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Unkrich informed Pixar employees on Friday of his decision."I'm not leaving to make films at another studio; instead, I look forward to spending much-needed time with my family and pursuing interests that have long been back-burnered," he said.The filmmaker shared a copy of the letter that he sent to the Pixar team on his official Twitter handle. He termed his 25 year-old journey to be 'epic' with ample opportunities of working with stalwarts and veterans in animation films. Unkrich mentioned that though he could not imagine not being part of the Pixar family anymore, it was time for 'change'.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)