Aug 15, 2022

Allison Abate Retires as President of Warner Animation Group

Allison Abate, executive vice president of Warner Animation Group (WAG), is stepping down from her position after five years, leaving the top spot in Warner's feature animation division vacant.

Abate has held various producer roles on many of Warner Bros.' biggest and most famous successes, including animation co-producer on "Space Jam," producer on "The Iron Giant," executive producer on "The Lego Movie He has served in a variety of producer roles on many of Warner Bros.' biggest and most famous successes. After returning from the UK, where he produced the stop-motion feature films "Frankenweenie," "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Corpse Bride," he accepted the top role at WAG in 2017.

Abbate issued the following statement to Deadline, which first broke the story:

Taking this position in 2017 was a great opportunity for me. The potential for animation at Warner Bros. is unparalleled and we are home to some of the most iconic IPs in the history of animation. I've learned a lot and am proud of the films we've been able to make despite the pandemics and shifting markets.

Her departure was not unexpected, as new Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) CEO David Zaslav dismissed Abate's boss, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Chairman Toby Emmerich, a few months ago.

Zaslav is in the midst of reorganizing the company from top to bottom, causing confusion about the future of the studio's various projects. According to changes announced by Zaslav in June, Warner Animation Group is now one of three different business units in WB's film group, the other two being DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures & New Line Cinema.

Abbate's husband Tony Servon was the producer and writer of the WBD-produced Scoob! Holiday Haunt, which WBD canceled without warning earlier this month, even though the film was weeks away from completion. The film had been produced through her division, Warner Animation Group.

Abbate's most recent project at the studio was DC League of Super-Pets. It was third at the North American box office last weekend and has grossed nearly $110 million worldwide to date.

Deadline reports that she is reportedly pursuing "a number of filmmaking opportunities she has in the mix."