Indie film/game studio Annapurna to launch animation division

LOS ANGELES — Annapurna, the boutique film studio behind this year's "She Said," as well as acclaimed works including "Booksmart" and "If Beale Street Could Talk," is expanding with an animation division to be headed by Blue Sky Studios and Walt Disney Animation veterans Robert Baird and Andrew Millstein.

The department, said Baird and Millstein, will work closely with Annapurna's numerous divisions, including the celebrated interactive team, which has brought to market a number of inventive, narrative-focused games, including this year's cat-driven sci-fi adventure "Stray."

The first film the team will release is next year's previously announced