It may be recalled that Businessofcinema.com was the first to report about Toonz Animation beginning production on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in February this year.
Based on the classic book by L. Frank Baum, the creator of The Wizard of Oz, the movie chronicles the life of Santa Claus from an infant to an adult. Along the way, Santa embarks on a hero’s journey through an enchanted realm and into a confrontation with the heart of evil, ultimately revealing the origin of the world’s best-loved Christmas legend.
The film will be directed by Tom Tataranowicz, Rich Arons and Dick Sebast and has a supporting team of artists who have worked on pictures such as Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and Iron Giant.
The project is currently in pre-production, with production set to commence in November at the Toonz Animation Studio in India. The movie is expected to be released in time for Christmas, 2010. Hyde Park will distribute the picture internationally and share North American rights with G7 Animation.
"This is our first CGI theatrical feature and it’s a great moment for us. We at Toonz look forward to this challenging opportunity which would test our creative talents, and anticipate an exciting and quality production," said Toonz Group CEO P.Jayakumar.
"I grew up watching The Wizard of Oz. It’s wonderful to bring this classic origin story of Santa Claus to the screen, particularly this novel from such an amazing writer," Hyde Park CEO Ashok Amritraj said.
"Amazingly enough, this is the first time an origin story, explaining Santa Claus and all the Christmas traditions, has ever come to the screen. We are very pleased to bring this exciting fantasy to life." stated G7 Animation head Tom Tataranowicz.
