Coaster Construction: First Look at 'Amusement Park'

What is Amusement Park?

If you didn't know, Amusement Park is an upcoming animated feature from the Spanish studio Ilion, who also made Planet 51. This picture is part of the Paramount Animation label, for Paramount doesn't have an animation studio, they're basically wide-releasing films from multiple studios. Just like Warner Animation Group. Sponge out of Water is a Nickelodeon/United Plankton film, Monster Trucks was done by Disruption Entertainment, January's Sherlock Gnomes is a Rocket Pictures/Mikros/MGM movie.

Paramount Animation vowed at one point to be very secretive about their stuff, but this movie - due out on July 13, 2018 - seems to be an exception. We know most of the cast, we know it's being directed by former Pixar animation Dylan Brown, and now we know what it looks like!

Nickelodeon presented this at an event because they are set to do a TV show based on it, which will begin airing in 2019.

From the looks of it, the film appears to be about a kid and some animals on an island, or in a jungle, that houses an amusement park. Has it already been there and was abandoned years ago? That's what I'm thinking.

I'm interested to see where they go with this one, not to mention I want to see Paramount establish themselves as a big animation player again. No more details were revealed, but I reckon we'll learn more by the end of the year, because this thing is still far off. I think a release date change will come, too, for Sony Pictures Animation recently dropped Hotel Transylvania 3 in that same exact slot.

What say you?

Surprise Development: Harold Lloyd Films to Be Remade in Animation

Now how about that?

In a day and age where Disney is remaking their animated classics into photorealistic/live-action movies, there are plans to turn some live-action classics into new animated features...

The subjects? The films of Harold Lloyd.

A central figure in the days of silent pictures, Harold Lloyd transitioned well into the age of talkies. Not only that, but he specialized in then-groundbreaking (and dangerous!) stunts, action scenes, and many other technical feats. He made tons of films, rivaled the likes of Charlie Chaplin, he's a Hollywood icon through and through.

His estate and Comic Animations are partnering with CineSite to turn some of his pictures into animated features. Harold Lloyd's granddaughter, Suzanne Lloyd, had this to say...

By donning unassuming glasses, Harold Lloyd became the boy next door everyone could relate to and he shot to stardom to enchant and entertain generations of film fans. I appreciate the opportunity to work with Dave Rosenbaum, Eamonn Butler and all the talented people at Cinesite to bring Harold’s comedy genius to the world in a new and innovative way. We need laughter now more than ever.

I'm going to assume that the silent movies are going to be the ones to be adapted, particularly the iconic Safety Last!

It's just another set of additions to CineSite's big plan. Last year, the company announced their animation division and a slate of projects that looks to take off soon. They're currently doing the animation work for Sony Animation's Nativity retelling The Star, and are set to spearhead Nut Job director Pete Lepeniotis' Gnome Alone, a Riverdance adaptation, John H. Williams/Vanguard's Charming, and Sergio Pablos' exciting 2D/CG hybrid Klaus.

Do I think those silent films could work as all-animated feature-length films? Maybe. If they could make an all-silent 90-minute film based on these films, that would be something, but I doubt that will happen. I'm not sure how they'll execute these ideas, so in the mean time I'm curious. I just like the idea of a live-action film being redone as theatrical animation, not direct-to-video stuff. That's a rare occurrence here.

What say you?

Monkey Business: 'Spark' Trailer Finally Debuts

Completed over a year ago, and set to hit theaters in a matter of weeks... Spark finally got itself a trailer.

Oh, excuse me. Spark: A Space Tail... Yep, they're sticking with that. Okay, so the trailer itself...


Honestly?

It doesn't look too bad!

One thing is for certain, though. The writing is pretty much aiming at a younger crowd here, but I do like everything else. I'm fond of these particular kinds of stories where they build these weird worlds and planets. Nothing new, but it's something I've always liked. I got some serious Jak & Daxter and Ratchet & Clank vibes from this, two video game franchises that started in the early 2000s and were just this. It's no surprise that the movie is reminding some of the Ratchet & Clank movie from last year.

On the whole, it looks inoffensive and just okay. No cringeworthy lines or jokes sans the "kick some asteroid" line (you stole that from Ratchet & Clank!), got a chuckle or two out of it. It'll probably just come and go, though I am curious. It has the potential to be a surprisingly fun, lightweight adventure. What I really want, soon, is a picture like this. A sorta set in another world colorful adventure, but one written like a Disney Animation or Pixar film. Disney Animation did it before with Treasure Planet, it'd be nice if they could do it again. They almost did with the cancelled Cosmic 3000/untitled space race movie.

To those outside of the animation sphere, this probably looks like a kid-lite Star Wars/Guardians of the Galaxy. The trailer's text and editing probably doesn't help much, nor does the fact that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 opens weeks after it. I know a great, all-ages movie can be made out of this sort of thing, and be a great animated alien/fantasy tale. One that doesn't look like "Star Wars/GOTG for kids"... In the meantime, I'm curious about this one.

What say you?

Won't Stop the Feeling: DreamWorks Announces 'Trolls 2'

No need to wait for an annual report, for it appears that DreamWorks is very happy with how Trolls did...

Right out of the gate, DreamWorks announced the sequel and its release date: April 10, 2020.

That's one week after an untitled Sony Pictures Animation "franchise" film. With this year, we're seeing animated movies opening closer and closer to each other, so clearly they feel that this particular risk is worth taking. I don't believe in cannibalization myself, but I hope all these films being released so close together doesn't bring too many downsides.

It seems a little confusing at first. Why a sequel? Trolls made 2.7x its $125 million budget, and I'm sure a lot of money was poured into the marketing. By contrast, DreamWorks' supposedly-disastrous Penguins of Madagascar made 2.8x its budget, and that lead to cutbacks, layoffs, and a whole studio (PDI) being shut-down. I always assumed that Penguins was called the disaster because it missed $100 million domestically, whereas Trolls and Home each surpassed $150 million on American soil. That, and Trolls was a merchandising monster. I hadn't seen so much merch for a DreamWorks film in *years*...

It also helps that its main song was a big hit. I can't get away from it, because my theater lobby's ad-TVs play it on near-infinite loop. I don't dislike the song, but ya know... It gets a wee bit tiresome when you hear it all the time.

So yeah, with that in mind it makes a little sense. Also, DreamWorks is no longer the studio they were in January 2015, when they got hit so hard by Penguins. They're now owned by Comcast, a big money pit. Without a safety net like that, they were in the position where they either had to sink or swim. Remember how some sites were ringing the death bell for them?

Trolls 2 is sure to repeat its predecessor's success in some way. The movie was no mega-hit by any means, so it would be wise for post-acquisition DreamWorks to keep the costs down this time. Since DreamWorks now looks to release one Glendale-made film every calendar year, this raises a few questions. The Edgar Wright-directed re-imagining of the cancelled Me and My Shadow, Shadows, was once planned for a 2019 release until DreamWorks/Universal decided on the one-a-year plan.

However, DreamWorks has their Shanghai-based unit. That studio is making their own animated feature, Everest. That's opening in 2019, the same year DreamWorks will release the mainline How To Train Your Dragon 3. That strategy is also being tested this year: DreamWorks outsourced this summer's Captain Underpants to Mikros Image, while The Boss Baby - a little over a month away - was done in the states. So say Trolls 2 is a mainline picture, will we get an outsourced/Shanghai film that same year? Could Shadows possibly be a smaller outsourced film?

Also... DreamWorks... Any news on Larrikins. It's out in a slightly less than a year. Maybe tell us a little bit about that one, eh?

What say you on Trolls 2?

Weekend Box Office: 'Lego Batman' Hovers, 'Rock Dog' Flops

One animated film did well, another did not.

The Lego Batman Movie slipped down to #2 and dipped 41%, showing that at this rate, it probably won't have The Lego Movie's legs. That's fine, for it still has already made nearly 3x its budget. The Lego Batman Movie now sits at $133 million domestically and $226 million worldwide. Some places around the globe haven't gotten it yet. Australia, where most of the movie was made, hasn't even gotten it yet. China's getting it soon, along with Japan.

Down in 11th place is Rock Dog, opening with a paltry $3 million. This comes as no surprise, because Lionsgate doesn't put any marketing oomph into pretty much every animated film they release. Reviews suggest that this Chinese animated picture is a cut above the likes of The Wild Life and Norm of the North, but they did little for it. The film also sadly flopped in its own country due to a complicated problem concerning the theater chains over there. Perhaps this one will find a new life.

Moana eased 21% and fell to fifth place, with the physical media (meaning, Blu-ray and DVD) release right around the corner. To date, the picture has made $246 million stateside and $580 million worldwide. Six-oh-oh, here we come!

Sing fell to #21, stabilized and sunk 37%. It's up to $267 million here, and $550 million everywhere.

The Red Turtle saw a little expansion because of the Oscars, domestically the pic has only made $595k. Unfortunate, but expected for a film like this. It's playing in no more than 115 theaters.

Monster Trucks still exists. Down to #35, slipped 45%, $32 million here and $61 million everywhere.

GK finally released the nominated Swiss-French stop-motion film My Life as a Zucchini here. Playing in 2 theaters, it collected $28k.

Trolls' gross hasn't been updated since the 23rd. Apparently it's still showing somewhere, despite being on all the formats. What's the verdict on this one, DreamWorks bean counters?

Amped Up: Another Spot for 'Cars 3' Surfaces

If the teaser, the US poster, and the extended version of the teaser didn't already spell it out... Pixar is apparently really sorry about the direction they went for Cars 2...

This new preview of the film, dubbed an "extended look" (though I'm sure it'll unravel in theaters, because that extended teaser shown during the National Championship is currently playing before Lego Batman and was spinning before a few other movies), is no different from its predecessors.


Again... No Mater, no humor whatsoever, just racing, racing, racing. The tone is pulse-pounding and intense, it's emphasizing the heck out of the fact that it's not going to be anything like Cars 2. It's almost like a loud apology... I think they get it. Heck, I'd laugh out loud if halfway through the finished movie, Lightning tells Mater, "Mater, we've been through this. That spy stuff was all just a dream!"

I'm not sure if this kind of marketing will really work in the film's favor or not, but I like the way they're presenting it... Now a little more dialogue and some story in the next full trailer, that would be cool.

Anyways, they finally hint at the late Doc Hudson's role in the film, though the trailers are seriously lacking new face Cruz Ramirez. The trailer also confirms that the crash takes place at night, which I already knew because I saw the leaked clip from the presentation at the International Auto Show in Detroit. Oh, and finally... The film's logo and not, ya know, "Summer 2017" on top of the film's signature hood ornament.

Yes, it looks good. The sequel we should've gotten, and I say that as someone that didn't mind Cars 2's silly spy stuff.

What say you?

Everything is Awesome-er...: 'Lego Movie Sequel' Will Be a Space Action Musical

The team behind the Lego Movie franchise is sure going to pull out all the stops for the sequel...

On the heels of The Lego Batman Movie's success, director Chris McKay said in an interview that The Lego Movie Sequel is going to be two things: A space action movie, and a big musical.

“LEGO 2 is going to be this big musical and space action movie. They need a lot of the writing, a lot of development, not only with script development, but development with songwriters. So it was very ambitious to get that movie out.”

Well then...

Warner Animation Group and this team really want to top themselves. With The Lego Batman Movie being as a great as it was, I have a feeling that they're going to put their absolute all into the sequel. There were concerns early on about the picture because it lost its director Rob Schrab, and folk also worry because Phil Lord and Christopher Miller aren't writing the script. They penned a draft before getting a gig in a galaxy far, far away, and BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg is sharpening it. Mike Mitchell will direct the film.

Honestly, now I can see why. Mitchell has already directed a pretty successful animated musical, last autumn's lite-psychedelic DreamWorks romp Trolls. It looked awful from the trailers, but ended up being pretty decent. Some point to Mitchell's not-so-great movies, and clickbait leads you to believe he's a hack, but no... He has some decent stuff under his belt.

So, big time songs. A perfect send-up of the recent resurgence in animated musicals, I'd say. I expect it to hit all the biggies, from Frozen to Sing, and maybe even hit some classics - animated or not. Whatever it ends up being, I like this mix of genres! A little less than two years away, my excitement grows.

What say you?

February Bits: 'Cars 3' Cast Info, 'Spark' Gets Title Change, Chris McKay Lands 'Nightwing' Movie

A few little tidbits came about...

If what has been said about Cars 3 for the past two years hasn't driven home the fact that it's going to be like the first film in that series, then this announcement sure will. In addition to The King returning to the series, with the actual King - Richard Petty - voicing him, a host of other race car drivers will voice car versions of themselves in the film.

One of which is former NASCAR driver and the King's son, Kyle Petty. He'll voice Cal Weathers in the film, since Richard's car equivalent was named Strip Weathers. If only he was named Richard in the movie, with the son being Kyle... Then that would make Cars 3 the first Pixar film with a Kyle in it! So close!

Other racers, some of which are veterans, include Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, and Ray Evernham. Jeff Gordon, who did a voice cameo in Cars 2, is back as well. What about Lewis Hamilton? Sportscasters Shannon Spake and Mike Joy will star as well, returning faces include Howard "Humpy" Wheeler and Darrell Waltrip.

No different from the first one, really. The first one featured the voices of Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher, Dale Earnhardt Jr., among other sportscasters and noted car enthusiasts.

Also, a new image...

Very, very nice.

Say it ain't so, the director of The Lego Batman Movie is looking to direct one of the DC Extended Universe movies, and a Gotham-based one no less... A Nightwing movie.

Yes, that's right, Chris McKay is set to direct a planned Nightwing movie for Warner Bros./DC. Maybe it'll actually happen, but given the way WB is and has been mishandling DC's cinematic output, I have my reservations. That means I'll be surprised if Matt Reeves ends up actually directing The Batman.

For those who are not in the know, Nightwing was Robin... In the comics, Dick Grayson ditched the Robin name and persona for Nightwing in the 1980s. Grayson/Robin is a major player in The Lego Batman Movie, so it all lines up quite nicely. This will be, if it happens, McKay's second live-action film. His first was a 2002 picture called 2wks, 1yr.

You guys know of Spark, right?

That space monkey movie that was made by ToonBox, the Nut Job creators? Completed a little over a year ago, the film was screened at a Toronto-based film festival back in April. Months later, Open Road Films got the distribution rights and announced that they would be releasing it this coming April... But no trailer has shown up, or an official poster (only the ones made for buyers/festivals), though we have a trailer for Open Road/ToonBox's The Nut Job 2, which was always set to open after this film. That comes out in August...

Where's all the marketing for this movie? Will it be pushed back? I have no idea, but...

Fandango's website has what looks like a new poster for the film... It looks like its title has been altered. It's now called Spark: A Space Tail. It appears that a spring release for the feature is still not out of the question.

Yeah, I think it's a dumb addition, but it could be just another tagline. Fandango, however, lists the movie as Spark: A Space Tail. Hopefully the movie itself is a bit of alright. I like the premise (space + animation + animals = count me in!), I just hope the writing stacks up. We don't want another Space Chimps with this movie, you know?

Update (2/25/2017): Spark: A Space Tail's trailer is set to debut in a week, according to the film's twitter page. I guess Open Road never saw much in this one... 

What say you on all of this?

Batman Succeeds: 'Lego Batman' Wins the Weekend Again

No shock, really.

The Lego Batman Movie wasn't facing any tentpole-esque competition this week. Not even the big budget epic The Great Wall, which might make its money back because of the Chinese and overseas grosses. Universal pretty much dumped that one here, so the mini figures had the weekend all to themselves.

Falling a good 35%, The Lego Batman Movie collected $20 million and is sitting at $98 million domestically. Not as strong as The Lego Movie's second weekend drop, but it doesn't matter. The thing is doing damn fine for a spin-off. Worldwide, it is currently at $170 million, more than double the budget. We're off to a good start!

Moana surged a few spaces ahead, going from 17 to 13, and rising 37%. No theater expansion or special promotion or anything, it just... Jumped a bit. There's still some oil in this tank. $244 million domestically, $573 million. Japan will do the rest in a matter of weeks.

What's impressive is the weekend performance puts it ahead of Sing, a leggy smash that opened nearly a month after it. Sing tumbled 58%. $266 million here, it should top out between $270-275 million here, making it Illumination's second biggest non-Despicable Me film behind The Secret Life of Pets. Worldwide, the film is up to $528 million. China just got the film, Russia and Japan get it next. Let's see how high it goes from here...

Monster Trucks is down 70%, not much has changed. $60 million worldwide. No update on Trolls, whether it has ended its run or not. I wonder how the home media sales are...

UPDATE: Four-days are in...

The only major change here is The Lego Batman Movie, which looks to make $107 million by the end of today. Worldwide, this puts its a few clicks higher, $179 million.

From Stop-Mo to Sony: Shannon Tindle Working on a Sony Animation Film

Shannon Tindle is quite a name in animation.

He conceived the story for LAIKA's excellent Kubo and the Two Strings with Marc Haimes, and he served as a character designer. He had also done character design for LAIKA's debut feature, Coraline. He's also known for his work on the Cartoon Network show Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, which he won an Annie and an Emmy for. Other TV animation work of his includes Static Shock, Samurai Jack, The Proud Family, and a few others. Features? The Croods, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, and Curious George.

Quite the resume.

He's now writing and directing a project for Sony Pictures Animation, according to his twitter biography, and this...

Day 1: Crew photo with @Mr_Scribbles on my new film!!! #sonypicturesanimation pic.twitter.com/x47kK1wzuw

— Shannon Tindle (@ShannonTindle_1) February 14, 2017

I've been a sourpuss when it comes to Sony Pictures Animation. I think they're a studio with great potential, and I think they showed just that with two particular features of theirs: Animated mockumentary Surf's Up and the heartfelt, zany, inventive Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Their other work has left me rather unimpressed, though some films had some interesting visual choices and such.

They're also headed up by executives who continue to hold Genndy Tartakovsky on a leash, booted Lauren Faust from Medusa, and rushed an emoji movie into production. That being said, some of the projects on their slate do excite me! Animated Spider-Man sounds like a turbo shot in the superhero movie coffee, not to mention it's about Miles Morales. The Star could be a cool take on the Nativity story that's wisely being done on a much smaller budget (it's being outsourced to CineSite). Hotel Transylvania 3 looks to be written by just Michael McCullers, and no one from the Adam Sandler camp, so it has the potential to be what its predecessors weren't. Vivo, a Lin-Manuel Miranda monkey musical, also has my interest.

It's just The Emoji Movie that can disappear (guys, I'll gladly eat crow if the thing is actually good), and I'm really on the fence about Smurfs: The Lost Village. It looks better than the hybrid movies, but not much better.

So, Mr. Tindle has a project in the works. My cynical side would say "How long till he is removed from the movie?" My more optimistic side says "Let's see what happens." Again, I can't be too harsh. Sure, these execs may have possibly diluted Medusa and greenlit Emoji Movie, but maybe they'll prove themselves with films like Tindle's, Vivo, Animated Spider-Man and others. Who knows!

All I can say is, I'm excited to see what Tindle has in store for us.

Brickbuster: 'Lego Batman' Wins the Weekend Box Office

The bricks sold the tickets...

Projections for The Lego Batman Movie were all over the map, some suggested it could open as high as $85 million. It didn't quite do that, in fact it made around the same amount I thought it would make all along. $53 million, not too bad!

The Lego Batman Movie cost a bit more than its surprisingly lower budget predecessor, but it's no matter. By weekend deux, it'll probably make it all back. Worldwide, the film sits at $90 million. A handful of countries, including China, Australia (where it was made, no less!), and Japan, haven't gotten it yet. It's sure to do fine in those territories.

What's more impressive is that it staved off Fifty Shades Darker. That film was #1 on Friday, but because Fifty Shades is one of those frontloaded films that a base audience flocks to on the first day of release, it slipped, letting Lego Batman take the trophy home. Since the first movie was sort of a one-and-done thing, Fifty Shades Darker unsurprisingly opened with nearly half of the first movie's opening weekend take.

Sing took a tumble, land right outside of the Top 10. Dropping 59%, the film is now at $265 million here and $501 million everywhere. Perhaps the sky is $275 million domestically (making it their biggest non-sequel yet), and $570 million worldwide, if it breaks out in France and Japan.

At #17 is Moana, up to $243 million stateside and $565 million worldwide. Japan is getting it soon, $600 million worldwide is pretty much a given at this point.

Monster Trucks is a goner. Dropped 70%, is at $32 million here and $58 million everywhere. Perhaps the film can find a following on TV/video, it's supposedly not all that bad. I saw bits and pieces of it, wasn't terrible or anything.

Trolls is on Blu-ray, but was still playing in some areas. It's pretty much done now. Looks like the final worldwide tally will be $339-340 million.

Holy Bricks, Batman!: A 'Lego Batman Movie' Review

I don't know about you, but I think Warner Animation Group is full of surprises...

The Lego Movie, I think, took many of us by surprise, being more than just a fun little movie about the bricks we all love. Their second feature, the Sony ImageWorks-made Storks, was more divisive. For some, myself included, it was a surprisingly strong comedy with great Looney Tunes-like energy, others found it to be incoherent noise and blabber-jabber. So how were they going to pull off the Batman-centric Lego movie that didn't have directing/writing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in the cockpit?

The answer?

They pulled it all off with flying colors. Literally and figuratively...

SPOILERS ahead...

Give it director Chris McKay, writer Seth-Grahame Smith and his team, The Lego Batman Movie is a very hilarious send-up of everything Batman, poking at everything from the comics to the movies to even its more offbeat adaptations. Best of all, it completely subverts expectations. You would think this would be a simply funny movie where Batman takes on foes, right? Not really. In the film, Batman's characteristics are exaggerated the extreme. He has no attachment to anybody, prefers to seriously work alone, and will never express anything to The Joker (not even an "I hate you"), which grills the clown prince of crime. Deep down, he wants a family, at the same time he fears losing a new family.

Gotham City's new police commissioner, Barbara Gordon, wants a new Gotham that doesn't let Batman do all the work alone, challenging the Caped Crusader. The Joker hatches a big scheme in the process, getting him and all of his cronies sans Harley Quinn locked up. Batman plans to send all of the bad guys into the Phantom Zone (which he, of course, steals from Superman) in order to prove that he truly can clean Gotham of crime. At the same time, he inadvertently adopts a young man named Dick Grayson, who of course becomes Robin later on.

There's a lot of great stuff here, from the father-son dynamics to the parodies of Batman stories. His relationship with Alfred is a lot of fun as well. The Joker's master plan is a real burst of coolness, he recruits lots of iconic villains and baddies, and together they all take Gotham City by storm. Menaces like the Wicked Witch, King Kong, Voldemort, the Eye of Sauron, and so on. Batman and his crew respond by forming Suicide Squad, literally... Making it the Suicide Squad movie Suicide Squad should've been.

Bolstering all of this is fantastic action that's staged impeccably, an explosive script, and pretty even pacing. Oddly enough, unlike most animated films these days, it didn't feel too long nor did it feel too short. There's real heart to this film, which I was not expecting. The Lego Movie should've taught me that lesson, but no, The Lego Batman Movie actually is a heartfelt film about Batman's reluctance to start a new family because of his fears of losing more people who are near-and-dear to him. This balanced with comedy quite well, and while I didn't think it was as sharp as The Lego Movie, it comes pretty darn close!

It's a Batman movie I never knew I really needed. Who would've thought Batman, Robin, Alfred, and Batgirl facing off against iconic baddies outside of the DC rogues gallery would've made for a great movie?

2017's animated feature line-up is off to a strong start. While most of this year's crop - from what I'm seeing - isn't doing it for me, I can only hope that it'll do like this movie and... Surprise me. Yes, The Lego Batman Movie is something special...

Apemation: Taika Waititi and Mark Gustafson To Direct 'Bubbles'

Do you remember the planned stop-motion biopic of Michael Jackson told from the perspective of his pet chimpanzee Bubbles?

It now has two directors.

The first man in question? Taika Waititi.

The acclaimed director of Marvel Studios' upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, Hunt for the Bewilderpeople, and What We Do in the Shadows, Waititi is no stranger to animation. He wrote an early draft of Moana, and is also in actor in various films. The Bubbles project is the brainchild of screenwriter Isaac Adamson, Dan Harmon and Starburns (Anomalisa) were set to make it happen. Deadline reports that the story will play out the way Anomalisa did, hinting that this will indeed be an adults-only picture. It would have to be, honestly.

Waititi is not alone. He is directing alongside stop-motion veteran Mark Gustafson, animation director on Fantastic Mr. Fox. What an exciting combo! Waititi did state, however, that the film will not really be about Jackson: This film is not about Michael Jackson because that’s not a story for me to tell — or a story I’d be comfortable telling — it’s about a chimpanzee’s fascinating journey through the complex jungle of human life."

He went on to say "I think animation is the only way to approach a story like this. I really loved Anomalisa because it was beautiful and authentic in its meditation on loneliness. I’m really excited to be working with Dan Harmon and Starburns as we share similar sensibilities and want to tell human stories in unique and artistic ways."

Well... That's certainly a more interesting development in an animation world full of family movies and throwaway rental comedies. Hopefully it, unlike Anomalisa, gets something of a wider release now that Sausage Party did well at the box office. Hopefully that sent the message, that animation can reach other audiences beside the everyone/family audience. Viva la adults-only animation...

What say you?