DPS Film Roman, an IDT Ent. company, and recent Emmy award winner, Harry Connick Jr., will join forces to co-produce THE HAPPY ELF, a one-hour 3D animated holiday special based on Connick's original children's song from his 2003 release, HARRY FOR THE HOLIDAYS. HC Prods., whose partners include Connick, Scott Landis and Ann Marie Wilkins, will co-produce. With script by Andrew Fishman and story by Fishman and Scott Landis, THE HAPPY ELF is the story of Eubie, one of Santa's helpers whose overly optimistic outlook is put to the test when he tries to bring Christmas joy to a sad little town aptly called Bluesville.
"Harry Connick Jr. is among an elite group of performers with the rare ability to connect with audiences of all ages," said Jim Courter, IDT's ceo. "The combination of his musical talent and DPS Film Roman's animation expertise adds up to holiday entertainment magic. THE HAPPY ELF promises to be a must-watch special for television and a must-have DVD for families worldwide."
Now in production for the 2005 holiday season, the special will feature an animated Connick serving as host and narrator of the story. Connick will also compose and produce the score for the special. "I am happy to be working with some of the best people in the animation world," noted Connick. "This is going to be fun."
"THE HAPPY ELF is family friendly entertainment at its best," said Morris Berger, ceo of IDT Ent. "IDT's Anchor Bay plans to release THE HAPPY ELF to the domestic DVD market, while our newly created IDT Ent. Sales company will handle worldwide television distribution."
Sidney Clifton, svp of programming and development for Film Roman, will serve as creative exec for DPS Film Roman. Scott Landis will exec produce for HC Prods.
IDT Ent., a division of IDT Corp., is a vertically integrated entertainment concern that develops, produces and distributes proprietary and licensed entertainment content, with a particular focus on animation. For more information, visit www.idt.net.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
