Oscar Wilde’s spooky but heart-warming tale The Canterville Ghost is all set to get an animated adaptation and the Indian connection to the project is Kerala-based Toonz Media Group, which has come on board as co-producer.
The animation production house, based at Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, has joined hands with U.K.-based Space Age Films and Sprout Pictures for the feature. It will be distributed globally by American film distributors Cinema Management Group (CMG) and is directed by Kim Burdon, who helmed the hit animation television series Stressed Eric . According to Toonz, the project is the first-ever English animated feature adaptation of the book, which has had adaptations in other languages and for the stage and television as well.
A screenshot from the feature ‘The Canterville Ghost’, an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s book of the same name
The classic tale tells the story of the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville, who has been haunting his ancestral home, Canterville Chase, for 300 years. His happiness is thwarted when an American family, comprising an American Minister, Mr Otis, his wife and their four children, move into the house. Although he tries all his means to scare them away, Simon fails miserably. They consider him a nuisance and he even falls prey to the antics of the Otis’ twin boys. However, he develops a bond with the family’s teenage daughter, which eventually helps him find redemption.
Reflecting on the project, P Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz says, “We are delighted to be associated with the project. The entire animation will be done in India. A small portion of pre-production work will be in the U.K., while a major share of pre- and post-production will be carried out at our studio in Ireland. All those names associated with the project were very particular about the quality of animation and we are happy that they decided to go ahead with us.”
Acclaimed cast
The voice cast has acclaimed names such as Hugh Laurie, who won the Golden Globe for the drama series, House , Stephen Fry (The Hobbit), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake, Harry Potter, Paddington), Miranda Hart (Spy, Call the Midwife) and Toby Jones (The Girl, Captain America). Edward Noeltner, president, CMG Group, says in a release that Toonz coming on board in this high-quality animated feature was the final piece in giving The Canterville Ghost the required momentum to fly into production.
P Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Animation Group
“The film is expected to reach theatres in 2021. Meanwhile, among our other projects is the second season of the series, Chacha Chaudhary ,” Jayakumar adds.
