Yahoo News Shout! Studios Takes North America For Animated Feature ‘Into The Wonderwoods’ By ‘Persepolis’ and ‘Zombillenium’ Directors
EXCLUSIVE: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to animated feature Into The Wonderwoods, in a deal struck with Paris-based Urban Sales.
The movie brings together the talents of Vincent Paronnaud, co-director of Cannes Jury Prize winner and Oscar-nominated, Iran-set work Persepolis, and Alexis Ducord, who co-directed César-nominated Halloween Theme Park caper Zombillenium.
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Their new movie is a based on a comic book by Paronnaud (a.k.a. Winshluss) who adapted it to the big screen and co-directed with Ducord.
The fantastical tale follows the adventures of Angelo, a 10-year-old boy with dreams of becoming an explorer and a zoologist, who is left behind by his distracted parents during a rest stop while on route to see his beloved granny.
When Angelo cuts through the nearby forest in pursuit of his family, he discovers a dark and mysterious world inhabited by strange creatures, some friendlier than others.
Into The Wonderwoods is produced by Je Suis Bien Content (Mars Express, Persepolis), Gao Shan Pictures (Le Petit Nicolas, I Lost My Body), and Zeilt Productions (Mr Hublot, Barababor).
The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last May and then played in Competition at France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June.
Shout! Studios’ Executive Vice President Melissa Boag announced the acquisition alongside Jordan Fields, SVP of Acquisitions and Originals, Gus Krieger, Director of Acquisitions and Development, together with Florencia Gil, head of international sales and Frédéric Corvez, CEO at Urban Sales.
The new multi-year deal gives Shout! Studios all North American distribution rights in the U.S. and Canada, including theatrical, home entertainment (digital, video-on-demand, broadcast, and all packaged media), and airlines for cross-platform releases.
“We are thrilled about this new opportunity to partner with Urban Sales for this imaginative and original family movie,” said Boag.
“Into The Wonderwoods offers a wonderous movie adventure enriched by stunning animation, memorable characters, and positive messages that will appeal to both families and animation enthusiasts. We look forward to building a broad audience across all major distribution platforms.”
The movie deal was negotiated by Krieger, Steven Katz, Vice President of Business Affairs for Shout! Studios, and Gil for Urban Sales.
“It’s wonderful to renew our longtime partnership with Shout! Studios for the North American release of Into The Wonderwoods,” said Gil.
“Since its Cannes Official Selection Premiere, this four-quadrant CGI adventure has been conquering audiences in more than 50 countries. We are overjoyed to see the film travelling to the US and Canada, brought by a major company like Shout! Studios and its brilliant team.”
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