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Trivandrum-based Toonz Animation
India is all set to foray into the 3D CGI feature film production
with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. Singapore-based
Toonz Entertainment (parent company of Toonz Animation India),
Gang of 7 Animation and Hyde Park Entertainment have entered
into an agreement to produce the 60-80 minute feature targeted
at families the world over. The entire production of the film
will be done in Toonz Animation India which also owns distribution
rights for India.
Based on the classic book by
L Frank Baum, the creator of The Wizard of Oz, the
movie chronicles the life of Santa Claus from an infant to
an adult. Along the way, Santa embarks on a hero's journey
through an enchanted realm and into a confrontation with the
heart of evil, ultimately revealing the origin of the world's
best-loved Christmas legend.
The film will be directed by
Tom Tataranowicz, Rich Arons and Dick Sebast, who have supervised
noted Disney, Marvel and Hanna Barbera features, and boasts
a supporting team of artists who have worked on pictures such
as Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and Iron Giant. The
project is currently in pre production, with production set
to commence in November. The movie is expected to be released
in time for Christmas, 2010. Hyde Park will distribute the
picture internationally and will share North American rights
with G7 Animation.
"This is our first CGI
theatrical feature and it's a great moment for us. We at Toonz
look forward to this challenging opportunity which would test
our creative talents, and anticipate an exciting and quality
production," said Toonz CEO P Jayakumar.
A team of around 80 animators
from Toonz Animation will be working on the production of
the film which is expected to commence in a month's time from
now. A team from Gang of 7 Animation will also be involved
in assisting in the production in India.
"Amazingly enough, this
is the first time an origin story, explaining Santa Claus
and all the Christmas traditions, has ever come to the screen.
We are very pleased to bring this exciting fantasy to life,"
stated G7 Animation head Tom Tataranowicz.
"I grew up watching The
Wizard of Oz. It's wonderful to bring this classic origin
story of Santa Claus to the screen, particularly this novel
from such an amazing writer", Hyde Park CEO Ashok Amritraj
concluded.
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