Warner Bros. Animation

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VARIETY JANUARY 7, 2013:
WB revs up animation development
'Creative consortium' formed to shepherd pics starting with 'Lego'

Warner Bros. is amping up animated movies, forming a think tank-style creative consortium that's aimed at delivering one "high-end" film per year.

Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, made the announcement Monday. The consortium includes John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, ("Crazy, Stupid, Love.," "Cats & Dogs"); Nicholas Stoller ("The Muppets"); Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"); and Jared Stern ("Mr. Popper's Penguins").

Studio said the filmmakers will work both individually and collectively without being exclusive, so they will also continue to write and direct live-action movies.

"Warner Bros. has an extraordinary legacy in the world of animation, including some of the most enduring characters in cinema history," Robinov said. "Looking to the future, we have now gathered some of the best and brightest talents in the industry to help us grow and broaden that legacy. Drawing upon their imaginations and inspiration, the Studio will produce a slate of new and original animated films that are sure to delight audiences of all ages."

Despite its history as home to the Looney Tunes characters, Warner Bros. has been relatively light compared with rivals in producing animated fare over the past decade. Its "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" hybrid flopped in 2003 while its best performer was 2006's "Happy Feet" with $384 million in worldwide grosses. The two most recent animated films -- 2010's "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" and the "Happy Feet" sequel -- turned in middling results with $140 million and $150 million respectively in worldwide grosses.

The consortium has been operating informally for several months and "The Lego Movie," directed by Lord and Miller from their own screenplay is the first feature to emerge from it. "Lego" is produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee and stars the voices of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, and Morgan Freeman.

Warner is releasing "Lego" on Feb. 7, 2014. Most of the animation is being produced by Australia-based Animal Logic.

The 2015 film will be "Storks," conceived and being written by Nicholas Stoller and to be directed by Doug Sweetland, who directed the Pixar "Presto." The 2016 title is set to be "Smallfoot," to be written by Requa and Ficarra, from an original idea by Sergio Pablos ("Despicable Me"), who is also set to direct.

Warner execs Courtenay Valenti, Chris deFaria and Greg Silverman are overseeing the consortium.

Studio has been putting other animated projects into development such as "The Tower Ravens," with Steve Carell's Carousel Prods; and Kevin and Dan Hageman's pitch for a live-action/CGI hybrid about the fictional Acme Corp., the purveyor of outlandish products shown in vintage Looney Tunes cartoons.

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Cartoon Network’s ‘Adventure Time’ Heads To Big Screen At Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE:
Adventure Time, one of the most popular shows on Cartoon Network, is being developed at Warner Bros. for the big screen as an animated feature. Created by Pendleton Ward at Cartoon Networks Studios, Adventure Time follows the escapades of 12-year-old boy Finn and best friend dog Jake who fight fiercely in a quest to protect their beloved Land of Ooo, usually from the Ice King who is searching high and low for his Princess Bubblegum. The project will be produced by the winning combo of Chris McKay and Roy Lee.

Cartoon Networks Studios will be involved in the production as will Ward, who will have some involvement in writing and producing the feature version.

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'Lego Movie' Sequel Lands 'Community' Director
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who directed the first movie, are now producing the movie with Dan Lin and Roy Lee. They are also writing it.

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VARIETY:
‘Lego Batman’ Director Gets First-Look Deal at Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)

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‘Lego’ Sequel Set For May 26, 2017

With “The Lego Movie” topping $200 million in worldwide grosses, Warner Bros. has set the sequel to open on May 26, 2017.

The untitled sequel is the first movie to be be set for that date. Warner Bros. confirmed four days before the film opened on Feb. 7 that it had tapped screenwriters Jared Stern and Michelle Morgan to write the script for the sequel.

“The Lego Movie” is poised to win its third straight weekend at the U.S. box office, where it has grossed $151 million in its first two weeks. The computer-animated comedy has taken in another $52 million in 42 international markets and is adding France and Italy this weekend, followed by Russia on Feb. 27, Japan on March 21, Australia on April 3 and Germany on April 10.

Stern, who wrote “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” was one of the half-dozen writers announced a year ago by Warner Bros. as part of its animation consortium aimed at revving up its production of high-end toons.

“The Lego Movie” is the first project to emerge from the consortium. “Lego” is produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee, with Chris Lord and Phil Miller directing with voices by Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Morgan Freeman. Most of the animation was produced by Australia-based Animal Logic.

New 'Lego' Spinoff Movie in the Works From Jason Segel, 'Iron Man 3' Writer (Exclusive)
Titled 'Billion Brick Race,' the film is in addition to three Lego movies already on Warner Bros.' release schedule.

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'Lego Movie' Producer Reveals How He Got Christopher Nolan to Approve of Lego Batman
Dan Lin tells THR they are now "deep in production" on a Lego Batman stand-alone movie, out in 2018


'The Lego Batman Movie' Gets Release Date
Warners also set opening dates for 'Ninjago' and 'The Lego Movie Sequel.'

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Michael Cera to Voice Robin in 'Lego Batman' (Exclusive)
Will Arnett is returning as the voice of the Dark Knight.

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New 'Scooby-Doo' Movie in the Works from Warner Animation
After more than a dozen years, Warner Bros. is bringing back Scooby.

For those asking "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" the answer is this: back on the big screen.

After more than a dozen years, Warner Bros. is bringing Scooby and his quirky crew of crime-busting kids to theatres, this time as an animated feature.

Tony Cervone, an Emmy-nominated animation vet who already has Scooby experience having directed several straight-to-own movies in the lucrative franchise, is helming the movie, which Warners has already slated for September 21, 2018.

Charles Roven and Richard Suckle, who previously produced the studio’s live-action Scooby movies, 2002’s Scooby-Doo and 2004’s Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, are producing along with Allison Abbate.

Abbate brings a lot of animation expertise to the table, with credits including The Iron Giant, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Tim Burton movies Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie. (She is also married to Cervone.)

Dan Povenmire, the co-creator of the cartoon Phineas and Ferb, is also involved in a creative capacity and will exec produce. Matt Lieberman wrote the script.

Warners, which will release the movie under its Warner Animation Group banner, is hoping the movie leads to a series of movies featuring characters from the stable of Hanna-Barbera, the animation powerhouse that ruled the airwaves in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Said president of creative development and worldwide production, Greg Silverman: "Like countless fans, I have always loved the Hanna-Barbera cast of characters. As one of their most famous brand ambassadors, Scooby-Doo will take the lead in re-introducing this pantheon of enduringly popular animated stars on a grand scale with an exciting new movie."