New 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' Animated Movie in the Works

Little Nemo is getting set to return to theaters for another animated adventure.

ON Animation, the award-winning studio behind The Little Prince is teaming up with Hyrum Osmond, the head of an animation on Disney's Moana, for a new animated feature film based on Winsor McCay's classic, seminal comic strip.

Osmund will direct Little Nemo in Slumberland, which comes with an approximately $70 million budget. The comic strip follows Nemo, a young boy, as he adventures in a surreal, fantasy world of dreams while he sleeps.

Osmund's other credits include Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph. He says he's honored to "have the opportunity to direct a film based upon the work of Winsor McCay."

"Little Nemo in Slumberland is a masterpiece that has influenced generations all over the world, breaking new ground in visual storytelling. I look forward to joining the amazing team at ON Animation to bring this beloved work to life," Osmond said.

ON Animation specializes in licensed films aimed at broad family audiences, such as The Little Prince and The Playmobil Movie. The Little Prince was released in 120 countries and grossed $120 million worldwide. The film also won a BAFTA and a Cesar award.

Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam of ON Animation will produce the project, along with Alexis Vonarb and Emmanuel Jacomet.

Soumache describes McKay's beloved comic strip as a cross between Hook and Alice in Wonderland.

"The strip is truly an unlimited source for astonishing adventures. McCay created a world made for CGI a century before the technology existed," Soumache said. "It's a passion project at the heart of ON Animation's philosophy: a beloved property leading to a story of emotional truth, set against a never-before-seen world."

Lino DiSalvo, who was Frozen's head of animation and who is directing ON Animation's The Playmobil Movie, will also work on the project, as will Tito Ortiz, the former vice president of Illumination Entertainment. DiSalvo and Ortiz will head up the film's creative development.

"Our ambition is to build long-term, nurturing relationships with talented creatives and produce projects we develop in-house," said Soumache.

Little Nemo in Slumberland was previously adapted into the 1989 animated feature Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland. The film was an American and Japanese co-production, with a screenplay by Chris Columbus and Richard Outten from a story by legendary comics artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud.

Source: Variety