Production Begins on Disney XD's Skyrunners, Weta Handles Creatures
Production has begun on SKYRUNNERS, the first original movie for the newly-branded television platform Disney XD. The science fiction adventure features Kelly Blatz, who can also be seen playing the title role of the new network's flagship series AARON STONE.
Weta Workshop, the multiple Academy Award-winning world leader in special makeup, creature and visual effects (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, KING KONG and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA films), will design and provide the practical alien creature effects in the movie.
SKYRUNNERS begins as teenage brothers Tyler (Joey Pollari) and Nick Burns (Blatz) commandeer a small UFO that crashes near their town. They soon realize that the spacecraft is "alive" and Tyler begins to develop superhuman abilities. When the brothers uncover an ominous alien plot to take over Earth, Tyler is captured by the extraterrestrials, so now it's up to Nick to rescue his brother.
In addition to Pollari and Blatz, Disney XD's SKYRUNNERS stars Linda Kash as Robin Burns, Conrad Coates as Agent Armstrong, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Julie Gunn and Nathan Stephenson as Darryl Butler.
SKYRUNNERS was directed by Ralph Hemecker and written by Richard C. Okie along with Adam Wilson & Melanie Wilson. Okie also exec produced the movie. SKYRUNNERS is a production of Ranger Productions and Shaftesbury Services II, Inc.
Disney XD is a newly re-branded basic cable channel and multi-platform brand showcasing a mix of live-action and animated programming for kids age 6-14, hyper-targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor.