From Animation Icons to the Open Sky: Katzenberg and Musk Aim to Reinvent Storytelling with Drones

When you think of storytelling pioneers, a few names come to mind—and Jeffrey Katzenberg is certainly one of them. After co-founding DreamWorks and bringing characters like Shrek and Simba to life, Katzenberg has set his sights on an even bigger “screen”: the sky itself. Teaming up with entrepreneur and restaurateur Kimbal Musk, Katzenberg is poised to help lead a new frontier in entertainment—one powered not by projectors or pixels, but by swarms of drones painting live, luminous stories above our heads.

This partnership takes shape in Nova Sky Stories, a company founded by Musk during the pandemic. Nova Sky Stories isn’t just another drone light show venture; it’s aiming to reimagine the very possibilities of visual storytelling using the sky as a dynamic, three-dimensional canvas. With Katzenberg now joining as a strategic advisor, and his tech investment firm WndrCo supporting a recent $50 million funding round, the company signals a bold bet at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and imagination.

Katzenberg, whose fingerprints are all over some of Hollywood’s most beloved animated films, sees drones as unlocking a wholly new medium. He describes the company’s mission as creating “original characters and original stories that can only be told with this technology.” Unlike traditional movies or stage shows, Nova’s pieces unfold hundreds of feet above spectators, weaving massive moving pictures and interactive scenes with fleets of synchronized drones. “The only way you can tell these stories will be up in the sky, in dimension, hopefully engaging interactively with the audience,” Katzenberg explains.

The notion is both technically and artistically ambitious. Nova Sky Stories got a major boost in 2022 when it acquired Intel’s drone business, taking ownership of a fleet of 9,000 advanced light show drones. Since then, Musk’s team has not only improved the performance and endurance of these drones but also elevated the sophistication of what’s possible in airborne displays. Early showcases have already hinted at the potential: at Burning Man 2022, for example, the company staged a performance where 1,000 drones choreographed into a massive, morphing face that loomed over festival-goers, demonstrating how the sky can become an interactive storytelling platform on an unprecedented scale.

What sets Nova apart isn’t just technical prowess, but the ambition to create entirely new forms of narrative and spectacle. Drawing a parallel to his earlier work at DreamWorks and Pixar, Katzenberg likens the current moment to the dawn of computer-animated film: uncharted and full of possibility. The hope is that, someday, “Sky Stories” could become a family-friendly entertainment event as commonplace and cherished as going to an animated movie was in previous generations.

Kimbal Musk, best known for his ventures in sustainable food and community, brings an equally ambitious creative vision. For Musk, the idea is to create a shared experience, harnessing the emotional power of large-format storytelling that’s accessible to thousands at once, outdoors, and often for free or at public events. It’s entertainment designed to be inclusive—welcoming entire communities to look up, connect, and imagine together.

What might these airborne epics look like? While details about specific projects are still under wraps, the team’s goals include crafting new characters and stories that aren’t just technical demos, but truly engaging narratives. They envision tales that leverage the unique perspective and interactivity only this medium provides—stories that literally surround you, encourage participation, and feel larger than life.

For both Katzenberg and Musk, the timing couldn’t be better. Hardware innovation and advanced programming make drone performances more robust and reliable than ever. The appetite for outdoor, immersive experiences is rising. And, after years where families and communities were kept apart, there is new demand for shared, awe-inspiring public moments.

As Nova Sky Stories scales up, it aims to deliver not only technical breakthroughs but to pioneer a new format for art and connection—one that soars high above the boundaries of traditional entertainment. With Katzenberg’s storytelling acumen and Musk’s creative vision, the company is betting the sky’s no longer the limit—it’s just the beginning.