Senator Intl. is entering the animation arena and will handle worldwide sales rights to French artist Jean “Moebius” Giraud’s sci-fi fantasy adventure “Thru the Moebius Strip.”
CG feature “Strip” is being produced by China-based animation studio GDC Prods., a subsidiary of GDC Holdings.
Set in the distant future, the sci-fi family adventure penned by Jim Cox and Paul Gertz concerns a boy who travels to a magical, alien world of giants to find his long-lost father and realize his own destiny.
Pre-production on pic began in L.A. in 2000 with a team of artists led by Giraud; further pre-production and the entire CGI production moved to China in 2001. Pic, now in post, will be completed this year.
” ‘Thru the Moebius Strip’ is more than just a movie,” said Anthony Neoh, chairman of GDC Holdings. “The making of this movie, as the first 3-D CGI feature movie made in China, has, from pre- to post-production, involved our young and eager Chinese crew in challenges much greater than anything they or the Chinese animation industry have ever met before.”
Senator Intl. prexy Joe Drake added: “GDC has married China’s best artists with Hollywood’s most successful animation storytellers and given them leading edge digital technology to make CG films that will rival those at any studio. We’re proud to be partners on a theatrical film of this caliber and be getting in business with a company that is positioned to be a primary gateway into China.”
Actors signed on to voice pic include Mark Hamill, Chris Marguette, Michael Dorn, Kellie Martin, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Jean Simmons.
Giraud created Moebius in the satirical magazine Hari Kiri. He has also created such works as “Lieutenant Blueberry,” the inspiration for Heavy Metal magazine, and contributed designs for “Tron,” “Willow,” “Alien,” “The Abyss,” “Little Nemo” and “The Fifth Element.”
GDC’s animators were supervised during the initial phase of the project by experienced Hollywood CGI artists including animation director Kelvin Lee, animation supervisor Bob Koch, model supervisor Wayne Kennedy and CG supervisor and technical director Manny Wong.
Source: Variety.com
Author: Cathy Dunkley