Warner Bros. Discovery Announces Animated Movie of MEERKAT MANOR
By Movieguide® Contributor
Warner Bros. Discovery is planning an animated movie version of Discovery’s MEERKAT MANOR.
“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,” said Bill Damaschke, President of Warner Bros Pictures Animation. “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 a way they’ve never been seen before.”
Caroline Hawkins, who created the original 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!”
The planned movie will be made using photoreal animation in the style of HAPPY FEET and will be produced by Seth Green and Tracy Falco.
In a joint statement about the project, Green and 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.”
The original MEERKAT MANOR followed the lives of a family of meerkats living in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert. The show “earned three Emmy nominations and attracted an audience of four million viewers in the US during its original four-season run, becoming Animal Planet’s top-performing series by October 2007,” Kidscreen reported.
This new project comes as investors express worries about Warner Bros. Discovery’s earning capabilities. Movieguide® previously reported:
Warner Bros. Discovery’s stock price fell 10% following the release of its Q4 report despite the company’s CEO, David Zaslav, painting a bright future for the conglomerate.
The media conglomerate’s Q4 report revealed the depth of the impact of the writers’ and actors’ strikes, resulting in a 30% decline in adjusted earnings and a 9% drop in revenue for the studio.
“This business is not without its challenges,” Zaslav said during an earnings call. “We continue to face the impacts of ongoing disruption in the pay TV ecosystem and a dislocated linear advertising ecosystem. We are challenging our leaders to find innovative solutions.”
Zaslav showed further optimism about the future of the company based on its lineup of content slated to be released during the next two years. Some of the company’s most popular IPs will be reintroduced, including a Harry Potter TV series and a sequel to JOKER before the revitalization of the DC universe.
“We feel like we’re on a great trajectory,” Zaslav said. “The content lineup over the next two-plus years on Max is rich, the deepest and broadest that I think we will ever have… We’re going to be rolling out all these franchises and shows over the next 12 to 24 months and it gives us a real sense of optimism.”
