Long-Awaited Animated Movie From It’s a Small World Songwriters in the Works

A passion project of the songwriting duo Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman is finally becoming a reality. On Thursday, a report from Variety confirmed that Inkas the Ramferinkas, an animated musical conceived by the Sherman Brothers and inspired by the 1951 children’s record of the same name, is finally in development. Prior to Robert’s passing in 2012, The Sherman Brothers contributed legendary work to Disney like “It’s a Small World” and music for films like Mary Poppins, The Aristocats, The Jungle Book, and Winnie the Pooh.

Inkas follows a small, flying dinosaur who lived 150 million years ago and who protects his friends despite facing tremendous danger to himself. The Sherman Brothers worked to develop Inkas the Ramferinkas into an animated film before collaborating with Disney, but the project never came to fruition. Robert’s son, Robbie, subsequently optioned and acquired the rights to Inkas in the mid-2000s, and helped the brothers craft it into a feature-length animation script. The animatic storyboards of Inkas featured animation veterans of Disney, Warner Brothers and DreamWorks, but the project was shelved during the 2008 financial crisis.

This new iteration of Inkas will be developed by Robbie’s Sherman Theatrical Entertainment, as well as Niels Juul of No Fat Ego.

“I grew up with ‘Inkas.’ I knew all the characters and their songs by heart,” Robbie Sherman said in a statement. “I always believed that if the rest of the world were introduced to them, they would fall in love with them too.”

“It’s not every day that you can be a part of something immortal,” Sherman Theatrical co-CEO Bret Goldin added. “Sherman Brothers’ musicals stand the test of time and as songwriters, they are the Mozarts of the modern age.”  

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be partnering with Niels Juul, Sofie Nordstrom and No Fat Ego,” Sherman Theatrical Entertainment co-CEO Andrew Kaplan said. “Niels wants to be a part of something positive.  And that’s really what we’re all about too.”  

“It’s hard to imagine my childhood without the brilliant and fantasy-inducing musical tapestry of the Sherman Brothers and for me, all these decades later to be able to help Robbie and his team bringing their first musical work to the screen is not just an honor, but an offer that my inner child could not refuse,” Juul added. “The Sherman Brothers are truly timeless, and we look forward to exposing the world to even more of their iconic work.”

What do you think of the details surrounding Inkas the Ramferinkas? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!