U.S.-based streaming giant Netflix has unveiled six new animation projects, according to an exclusive report from Variety.
The six television shows and films — Maya and the Three, My Father’s Dragon, Go! Go! Cory Carson, Kid Cosmic, Trash Truck and The Willoughbys — range in genres, but are aimed at improving the quality of Netflix’s family friendly program offerings.
The Willoughbys will be a feature-length adaptation of Lois Lowry’s novel of the same name, and will feature a cast that includes Ricky Gervais, Maya Rudolph and Alessia Cara. The film is written and directed by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 co-director Kris Pearn.
My Father’s Dragon will be a 2D film directed by The Secret of Kells co-director Nora Twomey and will feature a script written by Inside Out co-writer Meg LeFauve.
In terms of television shows, Netflix has enlisted the help of The Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken to helm Kid Cosmic, a program about a young boy who becomes a superhero after encountering cosmic stones of unknown origins.
Trash Truck will be a show about a six-year-old boy who makes friends with a trash truck, while Go! Go! Cory Carson will be a show based on the Go! Go! Smart Wheels toys.
Netflix will also back the limited series Maya and the Three about a female half-human, half- divine hero who goes on a quest. Mexican animator Jorge R. Gutierrez — who served as the director and co-writer for The Book of Life, as well as the co-creator of Nickelodeon’s El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera — will direct four episodes of the nine-episode series.
Gutierrez told Variety that he wanted to make a series that was like “a Mexican Lord of the Rings but hilarious.”
These six films and shows will make their way to the service between 2019 and 2021.
The Netflix studio focused on animated programming, led by Melissa Cobb, has announced other projects such as a Guillermo del Toro stop-motion Pinocchio and an animated fantasy film from The Little Mermaid supervising animator Glen Keane, called Over the Moon.
Netflix’s increased push to produce more animated programming is likely an example of the service preparing itself for Disney’s upcoming subscription service.
MobileSyrup has reached out to Netflix to see which of these titles will be coming to Canada.
Source: Variety
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