“Meerkat Manor” is becoming more animated.
The documentary series, which first aired on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Animal Planet in 2005 and quickly became the network’s highest rated show, is becoming an animated feature from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. The project will be produced by Seth Green and Tracy Falco of The Green Room. The film’s executive producers are Caroline Hawkins and Clare Birks of Oxford Scientific Films (OSF) who created the original series. OSF is owned by ITV Studios.
“Meerkat Manor” followed a family of meerkats “as they struggle to survive in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert.” The series went on to receive Emmy nominations and was watched by 204 million households in more than 160 countries on the Animal Planet platform alone.
According to the official press release, the animation for the “Meerkat Manor” movie will be done in a “photoreal style,” akin to “Happy Feet.” (It’s worth noting that the “Happy Feet” animation studio, Animal Logic, was recently purchased by Netflix.) Turning a documentary series into an animated movie with photoreal animation is certainly a choice, one perhaps inspired by the success of 2019’s photoreal “Lion King” and its upcoming sequel.
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Bill Damaschke, President of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, said in an official statement, “As we continue to grow our animated feature film slate, we are excited to bring the beloved ‘Meerkat Manor’ from WBD’s Animal Planet to the big screen. Along with our partners Tracy, Seth, OSF and ITV Studios, we look forward to creating a photoreal animated family adventure for the next generation and seeing our meerkat friends make their feature film debut in way they’ve never been seen before.”
Caroline Hawkins, creator of the original TV series, added, “It’s 20 years since we experimented with a wildlife soap opera in a London basement, and now here we are. What greater evidence could there be of the enduring appeal of meerkats? I am sure they would be thrilled at attaining stardom in Hollywood! Warner Bros is the natural home for this movie, and I am delighted to be partnering with Tracy, Seth and Bill whose visionary expertise is second to none.
“Meerkats have been secondary characters in animated feature films and it’s time they get the star treatment they’ve deserved,” producers Seth Green and Tracy Falco said. “We believe that the heartwarming and entertaining story of ‘Meerkat Manor,’ replete with all the drama, emotion and humor of the human experience, will resonate with audiences of all ages.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to bring these lovable characters to life in a new and exciting way, with the perfect partners in Bill Damaschke, Pam Abdy, Mike De Luca and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. We are honored to embark on this new adventure with the series’ brilliant creator Caroline Hawkins and Clare Birks to share the magic of ‘Meerkat Manor’ with the world, both for diehard fans of the global phenomenon series and an entirely new generation of meerkat lovers.”
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