Oscar-winning director Jared Bush was appointed as Walt Disney Animation Studios’ new chief creative officer on Thursday, marking a dramatic change in the company’s leadership. The appointment took effect right away.

Jennifer Lee, who will return to full-time filmmaking to oversee the enormously successful “Frozen” franchise, hands off the reigns to Bush, the creative force behind films like “Encanto,” “Zootopia,” and writer of the original Oscar-nominated blockbuster “Moana”.

In 2011, Lee became a writer for “Frozen” and co-writer of “Wreck-It Ralph” at Walt Disney Animation Studios. She will now concentrate on directing and writing “Frozen 3” and co-writing “Frozen 4” with Marc Smith, having been the CCO since 2018.

Bush, a more than ten-year Disney veteran, will be in charge of the creative output of the venerable animation studio, which includes its motion pictures, television shows, and related projects, Disney announced in a statement.

According to Disney, Bush is presently working on “Zootopia 2” and is executive producer and writer for the next “Moana 2,” which will both be released in the fall of 2025 and 2024, respectively.