Earlier this week, reports of Pixar pulling Bob Peterson off directing The Good Dinosaur surfaced. He was notably absent at both the animation presentation and The Good Dinosaur panel at D23, leaving some wondering if there was trouble between the two parties.

Well, it isn’t so much trouble, but more of just a shift in direction. The LA Times confirms the news of Peterson’s departure from the project. However, the director, who was the voice of Roz in Monsters, Inc, will remains a part of the Pixar family. The film’s directorial duties will go to the Pixar Brain Trust, which consists of: John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Mark Andrews, and Pete Sohn, the latter of whom had originally been co-director with Peterson.

Pixar President Ed Catmull on the recent change:

This wouldn’t be the first time that a change of directors mid-production has happened on a Pixar project. Brad Bird was brought in for Ratatouille while it was still in production, and John Lasseter was named co-director months before Cars 2 was released. Most recently – and perhaps the most controversial of all the directing changes – Brenda Chapman was replaced by Mark Andrews for Brave. This would be the fourth time in eight films that a change has happened midstream. Basically, this is standard practice at Pixar.

The Good Dinosaur looks at what would happen if the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs actually missed. The film features the voice talents of Lucas Neff (Raising Hope), John Lithgow, Frances McDormand, Neil Patrick Harris, Judy Greer, and Bill Hader.

[Source: The LA Times]