nickelodeon films Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Paramount family division Nickelodeon Movies is set to make feature films based on the cute and highly collectible toys manufactured by Kidrobot, according to Variety. The homogeneously shaped yet heterogeneously decorated toys, which are smooth, cartoon-like action figures adorned with limited-edition designs created by well-known international artists, are to star in a series of films mixing animation and live-action. The studio will work with Kidrobot owner W!LDBRAIN, the animation studio that also produces the show Yo Gabba Gabba! for Nick Jr., and original owner/creator Paul Budnitz, who still functions as president of Kidrobot. Two years ago, when W!LDBRAIN bought stake in Kidrobot, the company's main goal was to produce TV series, feature films and direct-to-video projects involving the toys.

Unlike many toys-turned-movies, though, the Munny and Dunny (and Labbit, etc.) figures from Kidrobot have no backstory, so producer Scott Aversano (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), who heads the Nickelodeon and MTV film labels, is seeking a screenwriter to come up with something involving kids who are somehow transported into the "edgy world" populated by the creatures.

When London was putting together its successful bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, the people running the campaign asked a guy named Daryl Goodrich to put together a short film to promote the city and its bid. And, according to pretty much anyone familiar with the bid, Goodrich's short, entitled Inspiration, was a key to London ultimately getting the gig (which is more than a little disturbing -- the voting turned on a movie, rather than, say, facilities and public transportation?!). Because all of Hollywood is unable to leave anything with potential alone (if only because of their fear that someone else will make a pile of money from it), Nickeleon Films has signed a deal with Goodrich and his producing partner Caroline Rowland to turn the short into a $30 million feature, tentatively titled Legend of the Rings.

The short (I can't find it anywhere online -- anyone seen the thing?) was filled with what TOMB calls "vomit-inducing sentiment" and the feature, which will be about "kids inspired to greatness after watching the London 2012 Olympic Games unfold," is expected to be equally inspirational. However, Rowland insists that it will not be entirely about success. "It's important to address the issue of failure, too," she says. "This must not simply be a rose-tinted movie." Um, she might want to check with Disney on that -- successful sports films are all about the rose tinting.