Hippo and tortoise: box office gold?
Filed under: Drama, Deals, Family Films, Newsstand
Mixed in with the unending reports of horror and
death that filled the media in the wake of the Asian tsunami were periodic feel-good stories, most of them about
reunited families, impossible survival, and Anderson Cooper. The best one, however, involved none of the above.
Instead, it was the story of the doomed love between a baby hippo and a tortoise, thrown together as a result of the
tragedy and doing their best to built a life for themselves. Or, you know, they were just hanging out because there
were no other animals left in the sanctuary. Either way, the relationship was documented all over the place
(accompanied by outrageously
adorable pictures), and Walden Media have decided to turn the animals into movie stars.Not surprisingly, said movie will be called Tortoise and Hippo. It was written by Roger S.H. Schulman, and will be directed by effects legend John Dykstra, who created "the first computer-operated motion-control camera system" while working on Star Wars in 1977. He's pretty much the man in his field (and has two visual effects Oscars to prove it), but this will be his first effort at direction. Walden is hoping to have the movie ready for release some time next year.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-05-2006 @ 4:09PM
Sindy Hong said...
Finally!! Since March of the Penguins I have been keeping an eye out for thge next "big" animal movie. So far the only thing that has caught my eye is the upcoming dachshund doc Weiner Take All. Now I'm adding Hippo and Tortoise to the list. The demand for family friendly documentary fare is huge - I am surprised there has been so little action from film makers to fill this void. I had heard there was going to be some rabbit doc (I think it was called Down The Rabbit Hole) but that seems to have vanished completely.
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