New film from ‘Moana’ producer and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ writer reported to include Asian story elements and female lead.
Osnat Shurer, Moana producer and former head of Pixar’s shorts program, is developing an untitled animated feature with Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter Adele Lim for Walt Disney Animation Studios, according to a Deadline report. Paul Briggs and Dean Wellins are said to be making their feature film directorial debuts. The film will be released in theatres rather than on Disney’s new planned streaming service.
While the plot was not disclosed, the movie reportedly has a strong-willed female protagonist and Asian story elements, and though seemingly similarly themed, is not “musically infused” like Moana. The development team is now casting for the lead.
While at Pixar, Shurer produced some of the studios most successful shorts, including Lifted, One Man Band, Jack-Jack-Attack and Boundin. The Malaysian-born Lim has an extensive background in writing and producing for TV, including Lethal Weapon, Reign, Star-Crossed, Private Practice and One Tree Hill. Briggs, head of story on Big Hero 6 and Frozen, was also a story artist and voice actor on Zootopia and Tangled. Wellins, who wrote and directed the Disney short Tick Tock Tale, was a story artist on Zootopia, Big Hero 6 and Tangled as well as a supervising animator on The Iron Giant and Osmosis Jones.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
