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In a Halloween world where every person is a monster, a vampire, a skeleton, a werewolf, a demon, or a creature that hides under the stairs, who could possibly be a villain? In Henry Selick's 1993 stop-motion animated fantasy "The Nightmare Before Christmas," Jack Skellington is the community's most famous local hero, but he is not a killer. Indeed, Jack seems to be good-hearted (if he had a heart) and secretly longs for romance. The local mad scientist Dr. Finkelstein (William Hickey) can resurrect dead skeletons, but he doesn't want to take lives. Even the two-faced Mayor (Glenn Shadix) is more ineffectual than evil. 

The only monster in Halloween Town that truly longs for violence and aches to kill people with his own hands is Oogie Boogie, a.k.a. the Boogeyman (Ken Page). As imagined by the film's designer, Tim Burton, Oogie Boogie is a large, empty-eyed burlap sack full of bugs and snakes.

Warner Animation Group, the Warner Bros. animation unit responsible for feature-length animation, is getting some new leadership. Bill Damaschke, an animation veteran who started his career as a production assistant on Disney’s “Pocahontas” and eventually became COO of DreamWorks Animation, is in final negotiations to become head of Warner Animation Group, TheWrap has confirmed.

Executive VP Allison Abbate was the last person to lead the unit; she departed in summer 2022 after the merger with Discovery. The fallout of the new leadership included the cancellation of the mostly finished “Scoob: Haunted Holiday,” a follow-up to the 2020 animated feature “Scoob,” as a cost-cutting measure (done at the same time as the shelving of “Batgirl”).

At Warner Bros. Discovery, Damaschke will report to Warner Bros Film Group co-chairpersons and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. It hasn’t been announced what Damaschke’s title will be.

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Disney Sets Sequels for ‘Frozen,...

A new era for Warner Bros. animation is about to begin.

Veteran animation executive Bill Damaschke, who rose to lead DreamWorks Animation before its sale to NBCUniversal, is in final talks to take over as head of Warner Animation Group, the beleaguered animation arm of Warner Bros. Pictures..

The company has been leaderless since the exit of executive vp Allison Abbate, who departed in the summer of 2022 amid the Warners takeover by Discovery and the shake-up that followed. That included the shelving of Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, a completed feature that was co-written and produced by Abbate’s husband, Tony Cervone.

The executive is expected to report to Warners film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. It is unclear what title he will hold.

Damaschke spent 20 years at DreamWorks Animation, joining it from startup level in 1995 and rising to COO. He oversaw productions such as Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon...

Exclusive: We’ve been hearing for some time that former Skydance President of Animation and DreamWorks Animation Chief Creative Officer Bill Damaschke is in talks for the top Warner Bros Animation feature position. It’s not a done deal yet, and last we heard both sides were far apart. But it sounds like talks have heated up.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav was looking to fill this post, just like he did for DC Studios with James Gunn and Peter Safran. The animation position will report directly to Warner Bros Motion Picture co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.

Damaschke had a two-decade run at Dwa and oversaw such franchise features as as Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods. He also oversaw all of its live theatrical productions, including the award-winning Shrek the Musical. In addition, he continued to produce theater projects through his production company StoryKey Entertainment.

Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas are both iconic Tim Burton stories, but the two films are quite different from each other. The Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), Halloween Town's Pumpkin King who schemes to take over Christmas, while Corpse Bride focuses on Victor (Johnny Depp), a Victorian-era man who accidentally weds a dead woman named Emily (Helena Bonham Carter). Though both films are part of the dark fantasy genre Burton is known for, Corpse Bride is a divergence in style from his first animated feature, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride went through different creative processes. The 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas was made as part of a development deal that Tim Burton struck with Walt Disney Studios, where he'd previously worked as an artist's apprentice who did concept art for films like The Black Cauldron and The Fox and The Hound.

Filmmakers tasked with building out DC Universe to match success of arch-rival Marvel Studios.

Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) CEO David Zaslav has appointed Guardians Of The Galaxy franchise director James Gunn and veteran executive Peter Safran co-heads of DC Studios as he seeks to replicate the phenomenal cultural and commercial success of arch-rival Marvel Studios.

As co-chairmen and chief executive officers of DC Studios, which replaces DC Films, the pair will be responsible for a long-term strategy to exploit the DC Universe, which has had its hits but overall has produced a patchy record of adaptations.

Gunn and Safran officially...

In what has been heavily buzzed around town, Jesse Ehrman has been named President, Production and Development at Warner Bros Pictures.

The studio has also upped Cate Adams, Peter Dodd and Sheila Walcott to SVP Production, Warner Bros Pictures.

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Additionally, studio veteran Kevin McCormick will continue in his role as EVP Production, working closely with Ehrman.

The announcements were made Thursday by Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, Co-Chairs and CEOs, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

As the new David Zaslav regime has taken over the studio in the newly minted merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, the motion picture division saw a string of exits including Motion Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich,...

After 15 years at Warner Bros, and four as the President of DC Films, Walter Hamada has finally left the Burbank, CA lot as sources tell Deadline the exec waits for the senior Warner Discovery brass to finalize his exit payout. Hamada has run DC since 2018, and re-upped in January 2021 with a contract that was supposed to take him through 2023.

All of this occurs as New Line’s DC movie Black Adam — on which Hamada is an EP — is tracking to open to a projected 135M at the global box office this weekend despite some harsh reviews. The writing has been on the wall for Hamada’s DC exit for quite some time, and sources said he has packed up his office and hasn’t been part of recent creative meetings.

Hamada will be the fifth Warner Bros. motion picture studio executive to leave since David Zaslav took the reigns of...

Exclusive: Warner Animation Group EVP Allison Abbate, who is a 20-year-plus vet of the studio, and has worked on several marquee animation films including their original Space Jam, the billion-dollar plus Lego titles franchise and this summer’s hit, DC League of Super-Pets, is exiting. Abbate will be segueing to a number of filmmaking opportunities she has in the mix.

Abbate came to Warners in 1996 to co-Produce the animation on Space Jam, which became a 230M-plus grossing global hit and yielded last year’s sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy which made over 163M WW and drove subscribers to HBO Max. She then went on to produce the BAFTA-winning Iron Giant and Looney Tunes Back in Action before reuniting with Tim Burton, who she first worked with on Disney’s Nightmare Before Christmas, for the Oscar and BAFTA nominated Corpse Bride where she set up a UK-based stop-motion studio. She returned to the U.

Warner Bros Discovery is restructuring its film division, starting with outgoing MGM heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy replacing Toby Emmerich as head of Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, and with DC and Animation divisions expected to have new leaders reporting directly to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

De Luca and Abdy will not start until they’ve officially exited MGM, which Amazon acquired earlier this year. As for Emmerich, he will start a new production venture that will have a five-year financing and distribution deal with Warner Bros.

DC Films President Walter Hamada is also expected to exit after a new leader is found for his division, according to an insider. As part of the reorganization, Warner will have a three separate film silos: a Warner/New Line division led by DeLuca and Abdy; a DC division; and an animated unit led by another executive...

Animation legends Ron Clements and John Musker, the acclaimed team that spent decades at Disney making movies such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog, are heading to DC.

The duo have teamed up with Celeste Ballard, a writer who worked on Space Jam: A New Legacy, to tackle animated feature The Metal Men. Warner Animation Group is the home of the project, which is based on the longtime DC property.

Clements and Musker are producing and have written the treatment for the film, which they are eyeing to direct.

Craig Peck is executive producing. Allison Abbate, the former producer (The Iron ...

Animation legends Ron Clements and John Musker, the acclaimed team that spent decades at Disney making movies such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog, are heading to DC.

The duo have teamed up with Celeste Ballard, a writer who worked on Space Jam: A New Legacy, to tackle animated feature The Metal Men. Warner Animation Group is the home of the project, which is based on the longtime DC property.

Clements and Musker are producing and have written the treatment for the film, which they are eyeing to direct.

Craig Peck is executive producing. Allison Abbate, the former producer (The Iron ...

Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures (L-r) Kevin Hart as Ace and Dwayne Johnson as Krypto in Warner Bros. Pictures’ animated action adventure “DC League Of Super-pets,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Check out the brand-new trailer for DC League Of Super-pets.

In the film, Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, Pb the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.

Dwayne Johnson stars as the voice of Krypto the Super-Dog in Warner Bros. Pictures’ animated action adventure feature film “DC League of Super-Pets,” from director Jared Stern.

The film also stars the...

Emmy winner Zendaya has joined the cast of Space Jam: A New Legacy, in the role of Lola Bunny.

First reported by Entertainment Weekly, the news follows this morning’s unveiling of the film’s first official trailer.

“@Zendaya is joining @kingjames and the #TuneSquad as the voice of #LolaBunny in @SpaceJamMovie!” the publication tweeted, with the film’s official Twitter page tweeting welcoming Zendaya to “the Jam.”

Welcome to the Jam, @Zendaya...

Today, a first look at Space Jam 2 was released. And it became apparent that LeBron James is going to have a lot of company, aside from the Looney Tunes, in A New Legacy. The sequel to Michael Jordan's original basketball flick is set to arrive this summer. Though it will be a remarkably different movie, as James is going to get sucked into the Warner Bros.' "server-verse." During his trip in the digital space, he is going to encounter many other characters from the studio's history, including Batman and King Kong, among others.

In a new piece detailing Space Jam 2, which also included some first-look photos, it is revealing that the movie will feature "Batman and King Kong courtside." This suggests that many famous faces will be occupying the seats during the basketball game between the Toon Squad and the new villains, the Goon Squad. Mad Max...

This marks the fourth year that the entire membership of the academy can take part in the nomination stage of the Animated Feature Oscar race. Previously, only select members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch and invited members from the other branches could serve on the committee that decided the nominees. Collectively, the committee tended to favor traditional and stop-motion films over CG fare. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Animated Feature.)

Mandatory attendance at screenings has been dropped and voters who want to be on the nominations committee need only attest to having seen all the contenders at theaters or screenings or by way of the the academy’s streaming site.

And the method of determining the nominees has been changed. Gone is the system where voters scored a film from 6 (poor) to 10 (excellent) with only those movies meriting an average mark of...

Everyone’s favorite cat and mouse are taking their antics to New York City. Warner Bros. Pictures has unveiled a trailer for the upcoming “Tom and Jerry” movie, scheduled for a 2021 theatrical premiere.

While the titular characters are animated in similar styles as the original television show, the new film diverges from tradition with live actors and a real-world set. Chloë Grace Moretz stars as an event planner hired by a hotel to organize a wedding, but she’s also expected to remove a pesky mouse — Jerry — from his recent residence within the building’s walls.

Written by Kevin Costello and based on Joseph Barbera and William Hanna’s classic characters, “Tom and Jerry” revives the decades-old rivalry as Tom is enlisted to help remove Jerry from the premises before the date of the wedding arrives. Cartoon violence ensues as Tom contrives various schemes to sneak up on Jerry, only to fail on numerous occasions.

Legendary animated double-act Tom and Jerry are taking their cat-and-mouse game to the big screen in live action form, and we now have our first look at the movie courtesy of a new trailer, several posters, and even a few images, each giving us a good idea of what to expect when the duo bring their escapades to theaters next year.

Tom and Jerry features one of the most beloved rivalries in history, now reignited thanks to Jerry moving into New York City's finest hotel on the eve of "the wedding of the century". The arrival of Jerry forces the event's desperate planner to hire Tom to get rid of him, and the ensuing cat and mouse battle threatens to destroy her career, the wedding and possibly the hotel itself. But soon, an even bigger problem arises: a diabolically ambitious staffer conspiring against all three of them.

An eye-popping blend of animation and live action,...

If you were thinking that what the world needs now is the Cat in the Hat back on the big screen, then we have some fantastic news for you. Reportedly, planning has begun to develop a trio of movies based on some of the famous children's book author Dr. Seuss' most famous titles. The news comes as part of an expansive deal with Warner Animation Group with plans to establish a cinematic "Seuss universe." Along with The Cat in the Hat animated movie, there are also other animate projects in the works based on Thing One and Thing Two and Oh, the Places You'll Go!.

"Seuss builds worlds," Allison Abbate, executive vice president of Warner Animation Group, told Vanity Fair. "There are so many questions that he posits, which is why we can read and reread those stories. It has been exciting for us to think about it as world...

Warner Bros is expanding its partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises with news coming on a slew of projects, including a feature film based on the Seuss book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! that will be produced by Warner Animation Group and adapted by Bad Robot Productions, a project that will mark the feature animation debut for J.J. Abrams’ company. Abrams and Bad Robot head of motion pictures Hannah Minghella will produce the pic which is now scheduled for a 2027 release.

“Dr Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go! is full of the inspiration, imagination, wonder and hope that has encouraged and entertained readers of all ages for generations.,” Mignhella said. “It’s hard to imagine a more iconic or beloved book to bring to life as Bad Robot’s first animated feature for WB.”

Also on the Seuss front, Erica Rivinoja and Art Hernandez have come aboard as...

Dr. Seuss’ iconic and inspirational children’s book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” is getting a feature film adaptation from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and Warner Animation Group, the studio announced Thursday.

“Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” is one of several films that will become an animated universe of movies based on Dr. Seuss’ stories. Warner Animation will also develop “Thing One and Thing Two” (working title), a spinoff of the characters from “The Cat in The Hat,” which is expected to be released in 2026, while “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” is looking to 2027.

The “Seussiverse” kicks off in 2024 with a “Cat in the Hat” feature film that’s currently in development and is expected for 2024 with Erica Rivinoja and Art Hernandez attached as directors. The second season of “Green Eggs and Ham,” a joint project between Warner Bros. and Netflix, was also just picked up.

Ruh-Roh! Break out the popcorn and the chew toys, grab a comfy seat and get ready to connect with friends and family because Scooby-Doo and the whole Mystery Inc. gang are bringing the party to your house. On Friday, May 15 everyone is invited to the Twitter #ScoobMovieNight premiere event, hosted by the big dog himself, to celebrate the release of the brand new, fully animated, full-length action adventure feature “Scoob!” on Premium Video on Demand or Premium Digital Ownership.

Starting at 7p.m. Et/4 p.m. Pt, this Twitter special event preshow for all audiences features fun Scoob moments with stars from the movie, including Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Kiersey Clemons, Ken Jeong, Tracy Morgan, Frank Welker, Iain Armitage, Arianna Greenblatt, Mckenna Grace and Pierce Gagnon, and director Tony Cervone. Lennon Stella will exclusively premiere an acoustic version of lead single “Summer Feelings” Feat. Charlie Puth,...

Fans across the country are jumping on TikTok’s #ScoobDance challenge, launched May 3rd by 14-year-old TikTok celebrity dancer Jalaiah Harmon with original music from Movers+Shakers [https://www.tiktok.com/@jalaiahharmon/video/6822304048260123910], to celebrate the upcoming May 15 Home Premiere of the animated feature film “Scoob!” Sharing content and making their own videos, creative choreographers, families, dogs, and people who just love to dance on the internet got into the spirit with Scooby-Doo and Jalaiah or created their own original moves to the tune of more than a half billion views in less than two days and have now crossed an amazing 1 billion—and counting—in just over three days.

Marking her first official brand partnership since choreographing the viral “Renegade” dance craze, Jalaiah’s performance is driving the bulk of the conversation, with another original piece by @JustMaiko also leading the pack with more than 785,000 likes, so far.

Key influencers include:

@justmaiko

@hi.this.is.

The latest Scoob! trailer finds Scooby and Shaggy meeting up with Mark Wahlberg's Blue Falcon for the first time. The highly anticipated movie, which serves as an origin story, is the first animated full-length feature from the long-running franchise to hit the big screen.

Scooby-Doo fans from all generations are going to learn a lot about the famous dog and his best friend Shaggy when the project hits theaters in May. And, apparently, there's a lot to learn, which is evident from the new Scoob trailer released today. A new poster for Scoob! featuring the main characters was also released today, which you can check out below.

We learned back in May 2019 that Mark Wahlberg had been cast as Blue Falcon. The new trailer finds Scooby and Shaggy on a spaceship, which Scoob automatically mistakes for an Ikea. This is where they're introduced to Wahlberg's Blue Falcon, who was...

Warner Bros. Pictures has entered into a multi-film deal with Locksmith Animation, the UK-based feature animation studio co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch. The partnership was announced Thursday by Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group and Courtenay Valenti, president production and development at Warner Bros. Pictures along with Locksmith’s Co-CEO’s Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart.

The deal covers the development and production of family animated features for worldwide theatrical distribution by Warner Bros. Locksmith will collaborate closely with Allison Abbate, Evp of Warner Animation Group, to add a fresh to complement the studio’s current animated projects. Locksmith previously had a deal with Disney.

“In recent years, animation has become a tremendously important part of our slate, and this deal with Locksmith dovetails perfectly with our forward-going plans,” Emmerich and Valenti said in a statement. “We love Sarah and Julie’s sensibilities and work, and look forward to...

The deal replaces a previous agreement with 20th Century Fox.

Locksmith Animation, the UK studio co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, has signed a multi-film deal with Warner Bros Pictures. The pact will see Warner Bros. co-develop and distribute Locksmith’s slate of films.

The deal covers the development and production of family animated features for worldwide theatrical distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Locksmith will work with Allison Abbate, executive vice president of Warner Animation Group, in delivering its work.

This new arrangement takes the place of a previous deal Locksmith had with 20th Century Fox, which has come to an end...

Warner Bros Pictures has signed a multi-film pact with UK studio Locksmith Animation after the latter’s deal with 20th Century Fox ended prematurely earlier this year.

Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, and Courtenay Valenti, President Production and Development, Warner Bros. Pictures, announced the deal with Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart, Co-CEOs of Locksmith.

Locksmith was founded in 2014 by Bafta-winning writer and producer Sarah Smith, producer Julie Lockhart, together with Elisabeth Murdoch. The company initially signed a deal with Fox in 2017, but the pact was a casualty of the Disney take-over and ended earlier this year.

The studio’s debut feature Ron’s Gone Wrong is not covered by the new Warner Bros deal. The feature is currently in production and will be released by Disney, which took the project on following the House of Mouse’s acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets. Pic is due in late...

Warner Bros has inked multi-film pact with Locksmith Animation to co-develop and distribute the slate of films in the works at the UK-based studio.

The animation house run by co-CEOs Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart and co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch is currently working on its first feature, Ron’s Gone Wrong, which will be released by Disney. The WB deal covers the development and production of family animated features for worldwide theatrical distribution by Warner Bros Pictures.

Warners said Locksmith will collaborate with Warner Animation Group Evp Allison Abbate to complement the studio’s current work. That unit’s upcoming slate includes Scoob, due in 2020, and Tom & Jerry and Space Jam 2 in 2021.

“In recent years, animation has become a tremendously important part of our slate, and this deal with Locksmith dovetails perfectly with our forward-going plans,” said Toby Emmerich, chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, and Courtenay Valenti, President Production and Development,...

Warner Bros. Pictures has signed a multi-film pact with Locksmith Animation, the British studio co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, to co-develop and distribute its slate of pictures. The deal covers the development and production of family-oriented features for worldwide theatrical distribution by Warner.

Locksmith said it will collaborate closely with Allison Abbate, Evp, Warner Animation Group to add a fresh voice to complement the Studio’s current animation activities. The London-based animation outfit previously had a deal with Disney.

“In recent years, animation has become a tremendously important part of our slate, and this deal with Locksmith dovetails perfectly with our forward-going plans,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, and Courtenay Valenti, president production and development, Warner Bros. Pictures. “We love Sarah and Julie’s sensibilities and work, and look forward to working with them to create titles that will enchant today’s audiences and become classics for future generations of animation lovers.

Netflix’s “I Lost My Body,” the existential adventure about a severed hand, won the Grand Prize award at the third annual Animation Is Film Festival, held last weekend at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood. The Cannes Nespresso Grand Prize winner from French director Jérémy Clapin beat out GKids’ “Weathering With You,” the popular Japanese climate-change romance from “Your Name” director Makoto Shinkai, which shared the Audience award with “The Swallows of Kabul” (from French directors Zabou Breitman and Elea Gobbe-Mevellec) about love and horror during Taliban occupation.

In addition, Romanian director Anca Damian’s hear-tugger “Marona’s Fantastic Tale” (GKids) earned the special jury prize for visual impact, exploring the memories of a mixed-breed Labrador with its various owners in a daring assortment of animated techniques.

The Aif win for “I Lost My Body,” the adult-themed, boldly graphic mystery about overcoming pain and suffering, means that the streamer...

“I Lost My Body,” the curious story of a disembodied hand searching to reunite with its body, won the grand prize at the Animation is Film Festival, held Oct. 18-20 in Los Angeles. The audience prize was split between two films, Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering With You” and “The Swallows of Kabul” by Zabou Breitman and Elea Gobbe-Mevellec.

Netflix acquired the worldwide rights to “I Lost My Body,” directed by Jérémy Clapin, after the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The French film — which bested its live-action competition to win the top prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes — screened in its original language at Animation Is Film. Netflix has also prepared an English dub featuring the voices of Dev Patel, Alia Shawkat and George Wendt, which will be available to Netflix subscribers on Nov. 29, two weeks after the French version receives its Oscar-qualifying run on Nov. 15.

“The...

The third annual Animation Is Film Festival (Aif) returns this weekend to the Tcl Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood, with indie Oscar hopefuls “Weathering With You” (GKids), Japan’s official International Film Oscar entry from “Your Name” director Makoto Shinkai, and “I Lost My Body” (Netflix), the Cannes Nespresso Grand Prize winner from director Jeremy Clapin, competing for the jury Grand Prize and Audience awards.

This year Aif (co-sponsored by GKids and Annecy) offers 10 features in competition with a special emphasis on Asian releases. The festival will also present special screenings, retrospectives (a 4K restoration of the Hungarian “Son of the White Mare”), behind-the-scenes presentations (Disney’s “Frozen 2” and Netflix’s “Klaus”), short films (a Best of Annecy with female directors), and more.

“One of the trends that’s really obvious this year is representation by Asia, not just Japan, but China and India, and even within that, you have a huge range of filmmaking,...

It's official: we're getting Funko Pop! the Movie. Rumors of just such a project sprang up earlier this year in January, though they weren't corroborated, until now that is. Warner Bros. has partnered with the highly-successful toy company to bring their line of incredibly popular figurines to the big screen. Given the success of The Lego Movie, and with the never-ending line of Pop! figures being produced that seem to fly off the shelves, this felt inevitable.

According to a new report, Warner Bros. has optioned the rights to the Funko brand. Now, Warner Bros. Animation has been set to adapt the toys into a movie. Teddy Newton (The Trouble With Lou) is set to pen the screenplay, with Mark Dindal also on board. Though his role wasn't specified in the initial report, it's presumed that Dindal will direct. Allison Abbate, Executive Vice President of Warner Animation Group, is set...

Warner Bros. has optioned the film rights to Funko, the toy company that specializes in the collectible Funko Pop! figurines and bobblehead dolls, and Warner Animation is planning to develop and produce an animated feature film based on the toys, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

Funko has a long history of licensing pop culture characters, creating thousands of toy action figures across dozens of toy lines. They’re arguably most famous for their Pop! figures, which all share the distinctive blocky heads and round, dark eyes and have become a craze in recent years for collectors.

The company also has a rich relationship with Warner Bros., having licensed brands and franchises such as Harry Potter, Batman and many more.

Also Read: New 'Flintstones' Series in Development From Warner Bros Animation, Elizabeth Banks

Teddy Newton, an Oscar-nominee for the Pixar short “Day and Night,” and Mark Dindal,...

Exclusive: Warner Bros has optioned rights to Funko, and Warner Animation Group will develop and produce a film based on the distinctive collectors figures.

For close to 20 years, Warner Bros and Funko have partnered on licensed collectibles from beloved franchises including Batman and Harry Potter. Taking an option on motion picture rights, Warner Bros moves its Funko relationship to a new level.

Allison Abbate, Executive VP of Warner Animation Group, will manage the partnership on behalf of the studio. Warner Animation Group’s upcoming releases include Space Jam 2, Scoob and Tom & Jerry.

Abbate said the studio is excited to bring the characters to life on movie screens. “Their fresh take on pop culture make these figurines incredibly appealing to fans of all ages,” she said.

Warner Animation Group has Oscar-nominated director and designer Teddy Newton crafting the storyline, and Disney Animation veteran director Mark Dindal.

Said Funko CEO Brian...

A few days ago we passed along word that several critical NBA and Wnba stars have joined NBA mega-star LeBron James in the upcoming sequel to the Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny live-action/animation hybrid movie Space Jam. And today we have word via James himself that Space Jam 2 has begun filming.

LeBron James announced the production start over on Twitter with a heartfelt tweet which read.

"Man, this really just hit me! I'm really shooting Space Jam 2!! This is so surreal and doesn't even make sense to me! Where I come from man and what I saw growing up this doesn't add up to me! I'm truly grateful and beyond blessed. This is Craziness."

As hinted at above, James' NBA and Wnba co-stars are set to include the likes of Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets,...

Annecy — For Hollywood, an Annecy Work in Progress sneak peek of “Scoob!” took one huge bull by the horns: How to reboot major IPs for modern audiences.

Joined onstage by “Scoob!” director Tony Cervone, production designer Michael Kurinsky at Warner Animation Group (Wag) and Bill Haller, animation supervisor at Reel FX, the panel, hosted by Wag executive vice president Allison Abbate, provided some possible answers.

Annecy’s first first look provided not only a detailed behind-the-scene look at “Scoob!’s” step by step creation over the last four years but served as a tribute to the painstaking passion and careful craft of animation. This was lapped up by a fascinated Annecy audience, made up itself mostly of animators.

Abbate provided a bigger Warner Bros. corporate picture. She began by reminding the audience that 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of Scooby-Doo. There hasn’t been any year since 1969 when a Scooby-Doo show...

Women in Animation, Les Femmes s’Animent announce June 10 date, programme line-up.

Celebrated academic and inclusion expert Stacy Smith and French actor and women’s activist Julie Gayet will be among the speakers at the Women in Animation World Summit in Annecy, France, on June 10.

Organised by Women in Animation (Wia) and Les Femmes s’Animent (Lfa), the third summit takes place in conjunction with the Annecy International Animation Festival and Mifa 2019 and has chosen the notion of belonging as this year’s theme.

The Walt Disney Studios vice-president of multicultural audience engagement and Wia secretary Julie Ann Crommett will kick off the day-long,...

Warner Bros.’ animated Scooby-Doo film “Scoob” has found its young Velma and Fred.

TheWrap has learned exclusively that Ariana Greenblatt will play young Velma, while Pierce Gagnon is set to voice young Fred.

Zac Efron is voicing the adult version of Fred, while Amanda Seyfried will play Daphne. Gina Rodriguez will voice Velma, while Will Forte will play Shaggy and Tracy Morgan will voice Captain Caveman — not part of the Scooby-Doo universe but a Hanna-Barbera character like the Scooby gang. Frank Welker will be voicing Scooby.

Tony Cervone is directing, while Chris Columbus, Pam Coats and Allison Abbate are serving as producers. Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Dan Povenmire and Adam Sztykiel are executive producing.

In the film, the Mystery Inc. group will team up with other members of the Hanna-Barbera universe to save the world from Dick Dastardly.

The Scoob cast has just gained Mark Wahlberg and Jason Isaacs. The upcoming Scooby-Doo is assembling quite the voice cast, which already includes Zac Efron (Fred), Amanda Seyfried (Daphne), Gina Rodriguez (Velma), Will Forte (Shaggy), Tracy Morgan (Captain Caveman), Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo), Kiersey Clemons (Dee Dee Skyes), and Ken Jeong (Dynomutt).

Now, it has been announced that Mark Wahlberg will be taking on the role of Blue Falcon, while Jason Isaacs is taking on the role of villainous Dick Dastardly.

Blue Falcon is a hero with his sidekick Dynomutt who has helped Mystery Incorporated over the years. The team has helped Blue Falcon defeat one of his arch-enemies, Mr. Hyde. As for Dick Dastardly, he is a mustachioed villain who has a love of vehicles set with a plethora of traps. He is reportedly going to be the main antagonist in Scoob and he will more than likely utter the word,...

Exclusive: Mark Wahlberg and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows actor Jason Isaacs are tooning up for Warner Bros’ animated Scooby-Doo movie Scoob from director Tony Cervone.

Wahlberg will play the Blue Falcon, a superhero from the Hanna-Barbera canon who teamed with Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Gang to fight against one of his arch-enemies, Mr. Hyde. Blue Falcon’s right hand was Dynomutt, who in the feature animated pic is being voiced by Ken Jeong.

Isaacs will portray twirling mustache villain Dick Dastardly, who is reported to be the main baddie in Scoob. Dick is a duplicitous car racer and pilot whose vehicles are known to carry various bombs and traps. He too has a right-hand dog in scruffy giggler Muttley. Dick appeared in such Hanna-Barbera series as Wacky Races and its spinoff Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines. His famous catchphrases include “Drat, Drat and Double Drat!,” “Triple Drat!

Mark Wahlberg and Jason Isaacs have joined Scoob, Warner Bros.'s upcoming Scooby-Doo movie, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Isaacs will voice star as the villain Dick Dastardly, while Wahlberg will play the superhero role of Blue Falcon. They join a voice cast that includes Frank Welker as Scooby, and Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez and Tracy Morgan for a ride in the Mystery Machine.

Scooby will be produced by Warner Bros. and its Warner Animation Group division, with Tony Cervone directing the feature that also counts Chris Columbus, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle and Allison Abbate as producers.

The project brings the ...

Mark Wahlberg and Jason Isaacs have joined Scoob, Warner Bros.'s upcoming Scooby-Doo movie, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Isaacs will voice star as the villain Dick Dastardly, while Wahlberg will play the superhero role of Blue Falcon. They join a voice cast that includes Frank Welker as Scooby, and Will Forte, Gina Rodriguez and Tracy Morgan for a ride in the Mystery Machine.

Scooby will be produced by Warner Bros. and its Warner Animation Group division, with Tony Cervone directing the feature that also counts Chris Columbus, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle and Allison Abbate as producers.

The project brings the ...

Amanda Seyfried and Zac Efron are all set to voice the characters of Daphne and Fred in Warner Bros animated feature based on ‘Scooby Doo’.

The feature, which will be directed by Tony Cervone, will see the team partner up with other characters in the Hanna-Barbera universe to save the world from the evil Dick Dastardly.

Will Forte will play Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez is Velma, Tracy Morgan is Captain Caveman, and Frank Welker will reprise the voice of ol’ Scoobs. Welker was the voice-over for the mutt in the 1969-1970 series ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!’

Also in news – Noah Centineo in talks to join ‘Masters of the Universe’ as He-Man

Chris Columbus, Pam Coats and Allison Abbate are producing. Executive producers are Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Dan Povenmire and Adam Sztykiel.

Toward the end of the 1990s, Warner Bros. and producer Charles Roven began producing a series of feature live action films starring Scooby-Doo,...

We have our new Fred and Daphne in the upcoming Scooby-Doo movie. Warner Bros. is currently trying to make use of their Hanna-Barbera characters, which they haven't been doing a ton with in recent years, in the hopes of generating some nostalgia-fueled business at the box office. That all starts with a new animated Scooby-Doo movie and they're bringing aboard quite a bit of star power in order to drum up interested. Case in point, Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried have been cast as Fred and Daphne, respectively.

According to a new report, Zac Efron has signed on to voice Fred Jones, with Amanda Seyfried on board to voice Daphne Blake. They join an already star-studded cast, which includes Will Forte as Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez as Velma, Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman and the legendary Frank Welker will reprise his voice as the titular talking dog. Welker also voiced Fred...

Scooby-Doo is hitting the big screen!

Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried are teaming up to voice Fred and Daphne in an animated film adaptation of the popular cartoon series, People confirms.

Titled Scoob, the film is the first time since Warner Bros.’ 2004 live-action film Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed that members of the Mystery Inc gang have been seen on the big screen.

Also joining the cast are Gina Rodriguez as Velma, Will Forte as Shaggy, Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman and Frank Welker who will reprise the voice of Scooby-Doo.

Director Tony Cervone will be directing the project with Chris Columbus,...

Zac Efron has signed on to voice Fred Jones while Amanda Seyfried will voice Daphne Blake in Warner Bros.’ animated Scooby-Doo feature film “Scoob.”

It was revealed earlier this month that Will Forte had been set to voice Norville “Shaggy” Rogers, while Gina Rodriguez would be voicing Velma Dinkley. The mystery-solving teens and their talking Great Dane Scooby-Doo first appeared half a century ago on the animated TV series “Scooby-Doo: Where Are You?,” which was created by Hanna-Barbera and first aired in 1969.

Plot details of the movie involve the Scooby-Doo characters teaming up with other characters in the Hanna-Barbera universe to save the world from the evil Dick Dastardly.

Tony Cervone is directing “Scoob.” His credits include “Space Jam,” Cartoon Network’s “The Looney Tunes Show,” and “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated.” Matt Lieberman (“Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief”) wrote the screenplay.

Producers are Chris Columbus, Pam Coats, and Allison Abbate.

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, where are you? Warner Bros. has got some work for you now.

The talking Great Dane last graced cinema screens back in 2004’s live-action Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed but the mystery-solving mutt and the rest of those meddling kids will be returning to the big screen soon for a new animated movie, and it’ll come with some big names, too.

Deadline is reporting that Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried have signed up to provide the voices of Fred Jones and Daphne Blake. Likewise attached to the currently unnamed production are Will Forte as Norville “Shaggy” Rogers and Gina Rodriguez as Velma Dinkley. Veteran voice actor Frank Welker, meanwhile, who’s been with the franchise since its inception in 1969, will once again portray Scoob.

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What’s more, this movie won’t just be revival...

Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried have joined the cast of Warner Bros.’ Scooby-Doo animated feature “Scoob,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

Efron will voice Fred, while Seyfried will play Daphne. Tony Cervone is directing, while Chris Columbus, Charles Roven, Pam Coats and Allison Abbate are serving as producers.

Gina Rodriguez will voice Velma, while Will Forte will play Shaggy and Tracy Morgan will voice Captain Caveman — not part of the Scooby-Doo universe but a Hanna-Barbera character like the Scooby gang. Frank Welker will be voicing Scooby.

Also Read: Gina Rodriguez, Will Forte, Tracy Morgan Team Up for Animated Scooby-Doo Movie at Warner Bros

In the film, the Mystery Inc. group will team up with other members of the Hanna-Barbera universe to save the world from Dick Dastardly.

The last “Scooby” film to hit theaters was “Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed” in 2004. That film made $84.2 million at the box office.

Exclusive: Deadline has learned that Zac Efron will voice the dapper Fred, and Amanda Seyfried the preppy Daphne, in Warner Bros Animation Group’s Scooby-Doo feature film Scoob.

Tony Cervone is directing the feature, and Chris Columbus, Pam Coats and Allison Abbate are producing. Executive producers are Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Dan Povenmire and Adam Sztykiel. Pic will open in May 2020.

It’s the first time since Warners’ 2004 live-action take on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, that the Mystery Inc gang have hit the big screen. In the new Scooby-Doo movie they team up with other characters in the Hanna-Barbera universe to save the world from the evil Dick Dastardly.

Previously announced for the pic is Will Forte, who will play Shaggy, Gina Rodriguez is Velma, Tracy Morgan is Captain Caveman, and Frank Welker will reprise the voice of Scoob, having been the voice-over for the hound in the 1969-1970 series Scooby-Doo,...