industry interest: animals & warners

New US deal for Happy Feet's animators

Wednesday May 16 13:58 AEST

Australian digital production company Animal Logic will develop three animated feature films as part of a deal which extends its Academy Award-winning relationship with Warner Brothers Pictures.

The two companies last collaborated on the George Miller-directed Happy Feet, which won the Oscar this year for best animated feature, and the Ancient Greek epic 300.

Happy Feet took more than four years to hit screens and was the first digitally animated feature film to be produced in Australia.

While Animal Logic had provided visual effects for films such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded in the past, it was a relatively small effects house prior to Happy Feet.

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During the production of Happy Feet, the story of a dancing penguin named Mumble, the company's staff peaked at 500 animators.

The company has now enlisted Jackie O'Sullivan in the new role of head of development and executive producer to oversee the new projects.

O'Sullivan was the producer of films including The Proposition and The Sound of One Hand Clapping.

The deal will see a minimum of three films co-produced by Animal Logic and Warner Brothers, not including the sequel which has been slated for Happy Feet.

Warner Brothers will hold worldwide distribution rights for all films.