Following in the footsteps of their Danish rival, LEGO, German toy company Playmobil is, Variety reports, developing its own feature film take on the company’s popular toy line. Paris-based ON Entertainment is partnering with Wild Bunch and Pathe for an $80-million dollar animated Playmobil feature.
DreamWorks veteran Bob Persichetti (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek 2) is heading the development team, which will consist of the same creatives that made ON Entertainment’s The Little Prince feature, set to debut in fall of next year.
Created by Hans Beck in 1974, Playmobil playsets have become a favorite of children, best known for their iconic figurines that pre-date the LEGO minifigure. Over 2.7 billion figurines have been sold worldwide, with 30 different play worlds for the filmmakers to mine for story ideas.
The Playmobil movie is produced by Dimitri Rassam, Aton Soumache, Alexis Vonarb and Moritz Borman, with production set to commence in Montreal at ON Entertainments animation division for a worldwide theatrical release at the end of 2017.
