Rainmaker Entertainment has hired former Lucasfilm Animation executive producer Catherine Winder to lead a march into family content.

Winder, who helped launch the Lucasfilm Animation studio and consulted for Rainmaker, grabs the president title from Warren Franklin, who remains CEO of the Vancouver shop.

Winder most recently produced the cartoon series Star Wars: The Clone Wars for Cartoon Network and the theatrical adaptation for Warner Bros.

Also bolstering Rainmaker’s management ranks is Kim Dent Wilder, who returns to the Canadian studio as SVP of production and operations, and Tara Kemes in the newly created position of manager of talent development.

Winder says her role will be to ‘refocus and reinvigorate the studio toward family-oriented content in a variety of genres,’ beyond animated movies, DVDs, games and TV series.

Rainmaker is also set to compete for local talent with animation giant Disney/Pixar, which last week unveiled plans to launch a new Vancouver studio.

The animation studio employs from 250 to 450 animators, depending on its production slate, while Pixar will be looking to hire around 100 artists.

Winder’s first project at Rainmaker will be the original short animated feature Luna, created by in-house producer Luke Carroll and directed by Pixar alumnus Jon Mead.

Rainmaker will also continue its U.S.-based services division.

The Vancouver studio is currently in production on the theatrical feature Escape From Planet Earth for The Weinstein Company, and new product for Mattel’s Barbie and Max Steele franchises.