By Travis Johnson
Australian animation house Animal Logic (Happy Feet, The LEGO Batman Movie) have inked a deal with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment to produce six animated and “hybrid” family feature films in the next five years.
“The animation space consistently outperforms other genres and we wanted to enter into that space by partnering with a company that is at the forefront of creative and technical achievement. Animal Logic is one of the industry’s most highly regarded digital production studios and I am excited for what we can create by combining our resources and talent in storytelling,” said Imagine CEO Grazer.
Imagine Chairman Howard was equally effusive. “Animal Logic’s work in the animation space is ground breaking. Our partnership expands our mutually shared vision to create visually stunning, inventive, and heart-warming stories that appeal to families, “Their technical capabilities for animation are impressive and distinctive, and the possibilities for new material are limitless in this highly coveted space.”
“We could not have hoped for a more perfect collaboration than with Ron, Brian and the Imagine team to bring a slate of engaging and inventive stories to family audiences around the world,” said Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian. “We are inspired by the potential of our combined slate of projects and the strong relationships and material we will bring to our partnership. We have a tremendous opportunity to inspire the next generation of family audiences with ground breaking and captivating content driven by our common passion for great storytelling.”
With each film’s budget predicted to be in the region of $75 and $85 million, this is extremely good news for Australia’s film sector. Expect project announcements sooner rather than later.
