Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS
Doug Sweetland Joins Sony Pictures Animation to Direct THE FAMILIARS
By Staff
posted Oct 13, 2010, 11:36
Doug Sweetland, the Academy Award�-nominated director of the 2008 Pixar short "Presto," is set to direct THE FAMILIARS for Sony Pictures Animation. Sam Raimi & Josh Donen are executive producers. Adam J. Epstein and Andrew Jacobson are writing the screenplay for THE FAMILIARS, based on their just published novel.
(CULVER CITY, CA) Doug Sweetland, the Academy Award®-nominated director
of the 2008 Pixar short "Presto," is set to direct THE FAMILIARS for
Sony Pictures Animation. Sam Raimi & Josh Donen are executive producers.
Adam J. Epstein and Andrew Jacobson are writing the screenplay for THE FAMILIARS,
based on their just published novel.
Sweetland joins Sony Pictures Animation after sixteen years at Pixar Animation,
a run that began right out of California Institute of the Arts as an animator
on TOY STORY (1995) and continued with A BUGS LIFE, TOY STORY 2, MONSTERS, INC,
and FINDING NEMO. Sweetland's trajectory at Pixar elevated him to animator and
storyboard artist on the Academy Award-winning THE INCREDIBLES and supervising
animator on John Lasseter's CARS. He is the winner of two Annie Awards for Individual
Achievement in Character Animation for his work on MONSTERS, INC and FINDING
NEMO. He was also nominated for an Annie Award for his character animation on
TOY STORY 2.
After CARS, Sweetland pitched to Pixar the idea of a magician who forgets to
feed his rabbit and suffers the consequences when his neglected co-star exacts
some clever revenge. The idea evolved into Sweetland's directorial debut and
the animated short, PRESTO, which was released theatrically with Pixar's 2008
hit, WALL-E. The short earned nominations for both an Academy Award and an Annie
Award.
"It was clear from our first conversation with Doug that we'd found our
director," said Hannah Minghella, president of production for Sony Pictures
Animation. "Not only does he possess a keen story sense and a wonderful
sense of humor but his passion for animation and for this project are unrivaled."
"We are very excited about THE FAMILIARS and the production team we've
assembled," says Sony Pictures Digital Production President Bob Osher.
"Doug Sweetland is an extraordinary animation talent who has developed
his own style under the tutelage of remarkable mentors. We are delighted that
our project affords him the opportunity to make his feature animation debut."
THE FAMILIARS, the first volume in the series published this month by HarperCollins,
is a magical adventure and an unforgettable celebration of fantasy and friendship
between wizards in training and their animal companions.
Publisher's Weekly wrote, "Screenwriters Epstein and Jacobson's children's
book debut is a grand adventure with entertaining characters and magic-induced
fun, written in an appropriately cinematic style." And School Library Journal
said, "The consistently suspenseful narrative moves quickly and is full
of twists and turns. This winning combination of action and humor will keep
readers turning pages right up to the ending."
Sony Pictures Animation acquired THE FAMILIARS in June 2009. Alexa Amin, Sony
Pictures Animation's vice president of development, brought the project into
the studio after Russell Hollander, an executive at Raimi and Donen's production
company introduced her to the property. Sweetland and author/screenwriters Epstein
and Jacobson are all represented by UTA.
Resources:
http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/
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