Friday, February 10, 2012

Upcoming Animated Films - My Thoughts (Part 11)


Here are the rest of the DreamWorks Animation projects that are currently in development...

The Grimm Legacy
This one is based on Polly Shulman’s book of the same name, a story about a girl working at library that trades valuables. Among the valuables in the library are The Grimm Brothers’ magical objects, which disappear. The girl goes on a journey to find them. Sounds like it could work.
Imaginary Enemies
Apparently this project is about angry imaginary friends who are sick of their creators blaming everything on them. That sounds hilarious, but I can’t help but think of the Cartoon Network series Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. Still this could be a fun idea, but who knows if it will go anywhere. Maybe the story would suit a short film better, not a roughly 90-minute film. I could be dead wrong, though.
InterWorld
Based on a story by Neil Gaiman, there hasn’t been much said about this one, but Henry Selick’s adaptation of Gaiman’s Coraline was wonderful, this could be wonderful too.

Kung Fu Panda 3
Kung Fu Panda 2 might've underperformed domestically, but worldwide it did very well, so 3 is a go. I remember back in 2010 when DreamWorks announced that they would go up to a sixth Kung Fu Panda. (As well as finishing Madagascar with a fourth movie) I don’t know if they’re going to go that far. Kung Fu Panda is incredibly popular overseas, but it’s not as big as Ice Age. Again, since the first two were good, this should be as well. With Shrek, they couldn’t make a third film work, but with this story and these characters, they can.
Lidsville
A film based on the Sid and Marty Krofft show from the 1970s. Apparently Shrek 2 director Conrad Vernon grew up on this show and considered it the best Sid and Marty Krofft show. Their shows were always zany and off-the-wall, so this idea seems perfect for an animated film.
Maintenance
This project is based on a comic book series by Jim Massey (illustrated by Robbi Rodriguez), a series about two janitors working for a massive science think tank. Originally, this was going to be adapted by Warner Bros., but DreamWorks now has the rights. Not much can be said about this, but it could work because the story sounds interesting and creative.

Monkeys of Mumbai
Kevin Lima, the director of Disney’s Tarzan and Enchanted, is at the helm of this project, which sounds very exciting. What’s this film about? It’s a Bollywood musical about monkeys! What could be more creative and awesome than that? Also, who besides Disney is giving us animated musicals in this day and age? Not only is DreamWorks attempting to re-popularize hand-drawn animation (Me and My Shadow), but they’re also trying to bring back musicals. (Even though Disney's Tangled was a big success, but Frog and Winnie the Pooh weren't, those three films were their first musicals since Home on the Range, not counting Enchanted) Kevin Lima is an incredibly talented director, and he’s working with some incredibly talented people on this project, so there’s a lot to look forward to here. Here’s hoping it comes out sooner than later.
Pig Scrolls
Based on Paul Shipton’s The Pig Scrolls, the story about who has to save the world, all based in Greek mythology. (The Ancient Greek Gods are characters in this story) Sounds like fun, a pig for the main character and a “save the world” plot. This could be interesting. No doubt DreamWorks is eying down the book’s sequel, where the pig is supposed to save the universe.


Rumblewick
Another fairy tale-style film based on Hiawyn Oram and Sarah Warburton’s book My Unwilling Witch (The Rumblewick Letters), Rumblewick takes place in a world of witches. It’s about a magician’s rabbit who is being trained to become a witch’s familiar, but he finds out that he’s just being used for a duel with rival witches. The idea, and the setting, is certainly creative. Like a few other upcoming projects in DreamWorks’ canon, this one has a lot going for it.
Trollhunters
Guillermo del Toro is the writer and director of this film, and maybe with this film, DreamWorks can successfully make animated films that contain pures of pure nightmare fuel like the old Disney films.
Truckers
This is based on the first book in a trilogy by Terry Pratchett, Bromeliad. It’s about the Nomes, a race of tiny people from another world living in our world. Not sure why the title is Truckers, since I’ve never read the books. Speaking of which, Disney was going to adapt Pratchett’s Discworld, but I guess that didn’t go over very well. There’s a lot of potential in this one, as DreamWorks proved they could do good fantasy with How to Train Your Dragon. At one time, this film was scheduled for release this year, but that was back when it was announced in 2008. Who knows when it will be finished.
The True Meaning of Smekday
Based on a science fiction novel by Adam Rex, The True Meaning of Smekday has been in DreamWorks’ hands since 2008. Who knows when they will get to producing it, but the plot is about an 11-year-old learning to survive after her mother is abducted by aliens. Sounds like it could be a more emotional film from DreamWorks, if the writers choose to go that route with the story.

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