With it being four years since he adapted his short film 9 into the feature format, we’ve been patiently awaiting what animation wizard Shane Acker will be tackling next. He’s used his recent time to work on the visual effects side for such films as Total Recall, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and the upcoming 47 Ronin, but has yet to commit to another feature film.
We’ve heard murmurs of a Valve collaboration and even a Thomas the Tank Engine feature-length adaptation and now another film has come down the pipeline. According to the animation studio Reel FX, they’ve teamed with the director to work on a animated film based around the the Dark Horse Comics series Beasts of Burden from Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson.
With a script by Darren Lemke (Turbo, Shrek Forever After), this one will head down a CG route as it follows some canines in the “charming town of Burden Hill, where there might be more to these animal antics than meets the eye. The town is inhabited by the supernatural, and when its paranormal activity becomes even more abnormal than usual, it’s up to a group of fearless canines called the Watch Dogs to protect its citizens – and humanity – from the mysterious things that go “bump” in the night.” As long as this one doesn’t go down the Cats & Dogs route, we’re looking forward to what Acker has in store and especially his likely dark approach.
Are you a fan of the comics? What do you think of Acker taking on this project?