“The Magician's Elephant” the new animated film produced by Netflix

Netflix today announced a new animated film currently in production, The Magician's Elephant, based on the novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, two times winner of the Newbery Award. CG animation is provided by the Australian studio Animal Logic (Happy Feet, The LEGO Movie).

When Peter (voiced by Ford v FerrariNoah Jupe), who is looking for his long-missing sister named Adel (Pixie Davies), meets a fortune teller in the market square, there's only one question on his mind: Is his sister still alive? The answer, which must find a mysterious elephant and the wizard (Benedict Wong) who will summon it, sets Peter on a harrowing journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will forever change the face of his city.

In addition to Jupe, Davies and Wong, the voice cast includes Sian Clifford, Natasia Demetriou, Dawn French, Brian Tyree Henry, Aasif Mandvi, Mandy Patinkin, Miranda Richardson, Cree Summer and Lorraine Toussaint.

The film marks the directorial debut of famed visual effects veteran Wendy Rogers (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Puss in Boots, Down the Pipe) and is produced by Julia Pistor (Jimmy Neutron, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events).

"Peter's story planted itself in my heart when I first read the book - I felt very connected to him and was totally fascinated by the world and the characters," said Rogers. “The power of hope, the belief that anything is possible and the ability to ask 'what if?' They are all themes that are woven into the plot of this film and resonate now more than ever. "

Pistor commented: “When I first read Kate DiCamillo's book, I knew I had to. The Magician's Elephant in a movie. It's as inspiring as it is fun and has a wonderful blend of adventure, heart, magic, and off-center humor. The film has such a unique visual style that it transports the audience to another world, one that Wendy and I wanted to ensure it reflects the world as it is = - full of different cultures and beliefs.

The adaptation is written by Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4), and the pedigreed creative team also includes production designer Max Boas (Abominable), artistic director Luri Lioi (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy), publisher Robert Fisher Jr. (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), pre-vis lead Gary H. Lee (Kung Fu Panda), head of history Mark Sperber (Raining Meatballs 2) and line producer Jennifer Teter (Sherlock Gnomes).

The Magician's Elephant joins Netflix's rapidly growing original list of animated feature films, including Oscar nominees Klaus, Kris Pearn's The Willoughbys, Oscar winner Glen Keane's Beyond the Moon; as well as the comedy of autumn 2021 Go back inland directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, Richard Linklater's Apollo 10 ½: an adventure in the space age, Chris Williams " The beast of the sea, Henry Selick's Wendell & Wild, Nora Twomey's My father's dragon, Guillermo del Toro's Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and the sequel to Aardman Animations by Chicken race.