Directed by Kim Burdon, animated feature film to be produced in partnership with Space Age Films and Sprout Pictures.
Cinema Management Group (CMG) has announced that Toonz Media Group will be co-producing the first-ever animated adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic, The Canterville Ghost. The production will be in partnership with an ensemble of producers at Robert Chandler’s Space Age Films and Gina Carter & Stephen Fry’s Sprout Pictures. The film’s producers have signed a deal with Toonz for the animation to be produced at it’s studio in India, while the pre- and post-production will be done in the UK and Ireland. The agreement was facilitated by Paul Grindey of Viewfinder Film. The film is being directed by Kim Burdon, and will star Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Freddie Highmore, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Hart, and Toby Jones.
A warm, charming, and humorous tale, The Canterville Ghost tells the story of a ghost, Sir Simon, who has been haunting his ancestral home, Canterville Chase, for over 300 years. But everything changes when an American family buys the estate and moves in. The family is unimpressed with Sir Simon’s ghostly antics, finding him to be a bit of a nuisance and not scary at all. This classic tale is still part of the English language curriculum in various countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Italy, India, and the Czech Republic.
“Toonz coming on board this high-quality animated feature was the final piece in giving The Canterville Ghost the required momentum to fly into production,” jointly commented CMG president, Edward Noeltner and Dubin Media producer, Kristina Dubin. “The film is targeted for delivery in 2021.”
CMG has pre-sold the film in several international territories including German speaking Europe, Russia and CIS territories, Poland as well as other Eastern European territories including the Middle East and Israel.
“We are delighted to be working with the existing team already in place on this wonderful film,” added Toonz Media Group’s CEO, P. Jayakumar. “Producer Robert Chandler has done a terrific job assembling great talent on this feature. As one of the largest animation studios in the world, Toonz brings 20+ years of experience in animation to this exciting project along with hundreds of skilled animators from India and an accomplished pre and post team in place in Ireland and the UK.”
“I am delighted with the relationship we have forged with CMG and Toonz to bring this picture to life,” concluded Space Age Films managing and creative director, Robert Chandler. “Wilde speaks to people of all ages. So, too, will Canterville, with its tale of an uptight American family moving into a stately British house only to find it haunted by a grouchy old ghost. Oscar’s genius was in crafting a story where every character feels they are doing the right thing. The American family are as real and lovable, with their own concerns and worries about the world, as the eccentric English ghost. The battlefield is the house and its grounds. Sparks fly and comedy is the result.”
Source: Cinema Management Group
