Just days after learning that Guillermo del Toro‘s foray into stop-motion with a dark version of Pinocchio may be cut off, we’ve got some good news to bring regarding this subgenre of animation. After being dropped by Walt Disney, there was a glimmer of hope that Henry Selick‘s next project, The Shadow King, would be revived by the ParaNorman filmmakers, but after that notion went away we were in the dark for some time.
Now, things are officially moving forward with the film that is “already a good way into production,” as K5 International has teamed with Beasts of the Southern Wild producer Josh Penn have picked up the project for completion. Written and directed by Selick, the film features a vast array of talent from the animation world, including those that have worked on Frankenweenie, Coraline, The Incredibles, Rango and more. Described as having an “exciting blend of the fantastic and personal with its mix of humor, scares, and moments of sweetness,” the film will be shopped around at Berlin with clips shown to possibly buyers and one can see a synopsis below.
THE SHADOW KING is a deliciously magical tale about nine-year-old New York orphan Hap who hides his fantastically weird hands with long fingers from a cruel world. But when a living shadow girl teaches him to make amazing hand shadows that come to life, his hands become incredible weapons in a shadow war against a ravenous monster bent on killing Hap’s brother Richard and ultimately destroying New York.
Update: We’ve also got the first image from the film, from Bleeding Cool, as well as the voice cast: Jaden Betts as Hap, Pamela Adlon as Richard, Brendan Gleeson as Darce, Jeffrey Tambor as Cuzzie Bell and Catherine O’Hara as Miss Fern. Check out the image below.
Are you looking forward to Selick’s next feature?