The family vacation brand forms Great Wolf Entertainment, revealing slate of animated projects based on its popular signature woodland characters; first animated film due in early 2022.
Family vacation brand, Great Wolf Resorts, has announced the launch of Great Wolf Entertainment, along with a slate of short and long from projects already in development led by The Great Wolf Pack, an animated film based on popular woodland characters featured throughout their water parks and resorts.
Producer Julia Pistor (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, The Rugrats Film) has signed on to executive produce; Kent Redeker (Doc McStuffins, Higglytown Heroes) will serve as executive producer and writer. Chris Bailey (Garfield: The Movie) will direct, leading a production team from animation studio Six Point Harness. The film is due out early 2022.
The Great Wolf Pack follows five woodland animals – Wiley Wolf, Violet Wolf, Oliver Raccoon, Sammy Squirrel and Brinley Bear – who were chosen by the Great Wolf Spirit to form and become the Great Wolf Pack. Using the power of a fantastical geyser, the pack are magically transported to whimsical worlds where various challenges and dilemmas await, and only the power of the Pack can solve. By joining together in friendship and combining their unique talents and flaws, they will face and overcome the challenges that come their way.
In addition to The Great Wolf Pack, 10 additional short form animated projects are also in development to delve deeper into the characters’ backstories and follow them on multiple adventures. To supplement the on-screen content, five children’s storybooks will be produced in both print and digital versions.
The projects are all based on Great Wolf Resorts’ stated mission to bring joy to families, and doing so with positive messaging such as teamwork, diversity, inclusion, and striving to do what is right. Great Wolf Entertainment also oversees the continued development of MagiQuest, the popular in-resort interactive video game, which features additional character IP and stories that are currently being primed for additional multimedia development.
“Millions of families interact with our characters every year at our resorts, and it seems like a natural opportunity to expand that beloved resort experience into filmed content that can be enjoyed anywhere,” said Brooke Patterson, Senior VP, Brand Experiences. “We are excited to work alongside this talented team of artists and storytellers who we’ve entrusted to bring these characters to cinematic life.”
“Great Wolf Lodge is an industry leader in providing unique family experiences at their resorts,” noted Pistor. “I am excited to work with the team to develop real and authentic content around their beloved woodland characters that lives up to those high standards and continues to engage families in the Great Wolf story outside of the resort experience.”
“When I was approached to create a world for the Great Wolf Lodge characters to live and play, I thought back to my childhood, and felt excited to create stories that hopefully children will imagine themselves being a part of,” added Redeker. “We have such fabulous stories to tell with these characters, and I believe these stories will allow children to have a deeper connection with the Great Wolf Pack and further enhance the character experience at the resorts.”
“I am thrilled to be part of this team that Great Wolf Entertainment has put together for this project,” concluded Bailey. “The whimsical cast of family-friendly characters and the mysterious worlds found in their forest provides countless opportunities for adventure.”
Source: Great Wolf Resorts
