MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Pictures and Animal Logic have signed a deal to develop animated feature films. The announcement was made by Warner Bros. Pictures president production Jeff Robinov and Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian.

Through the deal, the two companies will develop and co-produce a slate of animated feature films. Immediately under the deal, three projects will be put into the development pipeline – the titles of which will be announced in the coming months. Warner Bros. Pictures will have worldwide distribution rights for all films produced through the deal.

The deal builds upon the partnership Warner Bros. Pictures has built over the years with the Sydney, Australia-based Animal Logic and follows the companies’ collaboration on the animated feature film Happy Feet, which won a 2006 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as the recent hit film 300.

“Happy Feet was such an incredible achievement that expanding our development and production partnership with Animal Logic felt like a natural next step. We’re thrilled to be in business with such a respected and innovative animation and digital production studio and look forward to many more successful joint projects,” said Robinov.

“While we have long relied on Animal Logic for their fantastic visual effects work on many of our films, we were their partners as they took their company to a new level with Happy Feet. Animal Logic is a creative and innovative animation house, and we couldn’t be happier to continue collaborating with them on these projects,” said Warner Bros. Pictures executive vice president digital production Chris deFaria.

Previous Warner Bros. Pictures films on which Animal Logic provided visual effects include Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded.