H2V Entertainment’s Manga Latina Productions, along with Britain-based UKFS as a financing co-producer, are teaming with the U.K.’s Treehouse Productions to turn AP Comics’ first full-color comic book, MONSTER CLUB, into an animated feature film. Manga Latina is also turning its property ALIEN AND AJAX into a full-length animated feature. H2V’s Louie Porco and Henrique Vera-Villanueva will exec produce both films.
MONSTER CLUB will be a U.K.-Canada co-production co-directed and written by H2V’s founder Henrique Vera-Villanueva and by Treehouse’s Phil Littler. MONSTER CLUB follows the story of Mia, a sharp-witted, edgy high school student at a boarding school who notices the bizarre behavior of the entire teaching staff, sudden disappearances among classmates and longtime friends worried about dramatic changes. She become part of “The Organization” to help fight against the growing threat of the Monster Club.
ALIEN AND AJAX will be a U.K.–Spain-Canada co-production, with production teams onboard from UKFS and Treehouse Prods. in the U.K., Excalibur Animación SL in Spain and Manga Latina Prods. in Canada.
ALIEN AND AJAX is based on the concept and original story, characters and bible created by Vera-Villanueva and co-written by Littler and Kathryn Klassen. It will be directed by Vera-Villanueva, Manuel Garcia and co-directed by Drew Mandigo. The movie tells the story of Alen, the alien from Planet “E,” who is anxious to leave his home planet rather than face being its crown prince. What he really wants is the three “B’s”…. Alen, and his intergalactic pet, Ajax the Dog, go to Earth in search of beaches, babes and beer. Everyone on Planet “E,” utilizing a wacky array of high-tech communications, is disturbed to learn that Alen’s fallen in love with an earthling, named Sherry, and may never return.
H2V Ent. is in production on the animated feature SLINKY, THE MAGIC QUILT. It is also in post-production on MONICA MADE IN AMERICA, PINATAS and MANGA LATINA: KILLER ON THE LOOSE.
“I’m thrilled to bring the fresh concepts from Treehouse and AP Comics, plus their unique take on characters, to the world of feature animation,” said H2V president/ceo Vera-Villanueva, “We are excited to be wrapping three films with our partners ,UKFS, and we are eagerly moving into production on our next three films. Along with SLINKY, THE MAGIC QUILT, MONSTER CLUB, both MONSTER CLUB and ALIEN AND AJAX make it a busy and exciting time at H2V Entertainment.”
UKFS founder Antony Blakey said, “H2V was the most exciting commercial filmmaking proposition we have come across. The team is focused, professional and just plain nice to work with. This was what prompted our UKFS film partnerships to want to fund 100% of these projects on a long term basis.”
Littler, head of Treehouse said,” All the projects we are working on with H2V and UKFS have fantastic potential to reach out to a global audience. With Treehouse Prods. being able to offer years of experience in the animation industry, with both 2D and CGI studios, as well as editing and script writing facilities, working with such a young and dynamic company as H2V is an ideal partnership to provide a higher class of excellence within the field of animation.”
H2V Ent. has a staff of 250 animators, a management team of 15 and studios in Montreal (Manga Latina Productions), Castellón, Spain (Excalibur Animación), Bilbao, Spain (Pit-A-Pat) and Argentina (Animatoon). The mission of H2V is to create and distribute superior quality films appealing to a global audience, and to gradually expand into additional channels such as television, videogames, multi-media, licensing and merchandising. For more information, visit
www.h2ventertainment.com .
U.K. Films Services Ltd. (UKFS) is the producer and financer of a diverse slate of feature films, in which the company invested $125 million in 2003. UKFS is headed by md Owen Lynch and by head of production Robert Sidaway. For more information please contact: Sam Stone, +44 (0)1273 690 285 or
sam@ukfs-online.co.uk .
Since 1994, Treehouse Prods. has produced :30 high concept designs to full-length features, maintaining a steady workflow for a variety of clients worldwide. After 10 years in Soho, with his own production and design studio, Littler set up a full production studio in Lithuania, run from his U.K. headquarters in what was quite literally a treehouse behind his home. Within 18 months, the company moved to the heart of St. Albans, London, where it set up its current production hub, which is turning out 1,000 minutes of animation. Treehouse closed its Lithuanian arm with the view toward outsourcing sections of its productions to its many international partners formed across the years.
