‘Moana’ Producer Osnat Shurer Joins Baobab Studios

Osnat Shurer, an Oscar-nominated producer of Disney Animation’s Moana and Raya and the Last Dragon, has joined Baobab Studios as co-chief creative officer, alongside company founder and CCO Eric Darnell (Madagascar).

Previously, Shurer served as Walt Disney Feature Animation’s vp development and as executive producer of the short films group at Pixar, where she produced or executive produced shorts such as 2006’s Lifted and 2003’s Boundin’. 

As she joins interactive animation studio Baobab, Shurer joins creative leaders including Darnell, chief content officer Kane Lee and advisors and investors such as Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull and Disney legend Glen Keane.

“We are thrilled to welcome Osnat to Baobab,” said Maureen Fan, CEO and co-founder of the studio. “She has a gift for launching franchises with beloved characters that resonate across ages and cultures. Osnat’s extensive background brings invaluable expertise to our growing story franchises across film, television, games and books.” Added Darnell, “I’m excited to partner with Osnat to build out our slate and shepherd new projects into production.”

Baobab is currently working on its Momoguro multiplatform franchise, which includes a digital collectibles game, an upcoming Roblox game and a planned TV series. Baobab’s partnership with Disney+ includes developing Intercats, an animated cat workplace comedy series, based on the Baobab graphic novels of the same name, and The Witchverse, an animated fantasy adventure series based on Baba Yaga, Baobab’s three-time Emmy-winning short film and VR experience.

Said Shurer: “Throughout my career, I’ve been at the forefront of shaping stories with fresh, nuanced, powerful female protagonists. You can imagine why I was immediately drawn to Baobab and this fantastic group of mavericks and the opportunity to explore the very cutting-edge of technology and games in service of telling great stories.”