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Hitpig had its sights set on becoming a family-friendly hit animated movie, but the film missed the mark. When it comes to animated family films, they have several hurdles to overcome to please and entertain audiences of all ages while still delivering emotion, fun, and an engaging story. However, Hitpig seems to have gone all in on the goofy humor and left the movie with an unappealing and unenthusiastic story that, despite the novelty of a bounty hunter pig, can't make up for a movie with no stakes.

Hitpig

Director Cinzia Angelini, David FeissRelease Date April 19, 2024Studio(s) AniventureDistributor(s) SkyWriters Tyler Werrin, Dave Rosenbaum, Berkeley BreathedCast Hannah Gadsby, Charlie Adler, Anitta, Rainn Wilson, Lilly SIngh, RuPaulRating TV-Y7Runtime 86 MinutesGenres Animation, Action, Adventure

Hitpig, so named because he was adopted by a bounty hunter grandma and trained as her sidekick, is now on his own. After losing his only friend,...

Exclusive: Viva Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Hitpig!, a new animated feature starring Ted Lasso‘s Jason Sudeikis, for release in theaters nationwide on November 1. Check out a trailer for the film above.

Based on the New York Times bestseller Pete & Pickles from Berkeley Breathed, the film follows a clever bounty hunting pig (Sudeikis) who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. The next job for Hitpig is his biggest yet: returning a dancing elephant named Pickles (Lilly Singh) to a maniacal Vegas showman (Rainn Wilson), for a million bucks. The mission quickly escalates into a wild adventure around the world, and when danger looms, it’s up to Hitpig to save the day, though he can’t do it alone. Eventually, he must realize that some things are more important than a paycheck, coming to discover that friends are the greatest bounty of all.

Produced by Aniventure,...

The UK’s Gfm Animation is handling international sales on family animation HitPig, that features a starry voice cast including Jason Sudeikis in the titular role, alongside Lilly Singh, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby and Rainn Wilson.

It’s based on Pulitzer Prize winning author Berkeley Breathed’s characters, with HitPig a rugged pig bounty hunter who makes his living catching escaped animals for big cash. His next target is a naïve, free-spirited elephant who has escaped the clutches of an evil showman. Soon, an unlikely partnership is forged.

Producers are Adam Nagle and Dave Rosenbaum of Aniventure, alongside CG animation by Cinesite.

VFX and animation company Cinesite has taken a majority stake in Andy Serkis’s performance capture and virtual production outfit The Imaginarium Studios, Variety can confirm.

Formed in 2012 by the “Lord of the Rings” star, the studio boasts a “revolutionary” approach to mo-cap that includes industry-wide innovation and has seen it collaborate on projects including “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” “Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3” and Netflix’s “Dance Monsters,” among other projects. The studio boasts facilities at both Pinewood in the U.K. and Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Ga.

Under the terms of the deal, The Imaginarium Studios will become a Cinesite partner company, retaining its culture, brand and facilities. CEO Matthew Brown will continue to lead the company’s staff.

The deal marks the latest collaboration for Cinesite and Serkis, who also runs production company The Imaginarium Productions with producer Jonathan Cavendish (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”). The two companies are...

“The Batman” star Andy Serkis is set to direct an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novel “Animal Farm.”

Serkis is directing the feature at animation and VFX studio Cinesite (“Riverdance: The Animated Adventure”) from a screenplay by Nick Stoller.

“The challenging journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen has been finally rewarded by the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite,” Serkis said. “Together we hope to make our version of Orwell’s ever relevant masterpiece, emotionally powerful, humorous, and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but for generations to come.”

Connie Thompson will produce alongside Adam Nagle, Dave Rosenbaum and Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish and Serkis.

Nagle added: “Ever since 1945, when George Orwell first published ‘Animal Farm,’ the story has remained relevant and a key instrument in understanding how the world works. Andy has had a...

Andy Serkis (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) is directing an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novella Animal Farm for Aniventure and his company The Imaginarium. Production is underway at Cinesite, which is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary as a world leader in animation and VFX.

The dystopian fable published in 1945 watches as a group of farm animals rebel against their human owner, in hopes of creating a society where they can be equal, free and happy. It was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels between 1923 to 2005, and won Orwell a Restrospective Hugo Award. It’s previously been adapted for radio and the stage, with John Halas and Joy Batchelor mounting a film adaptation in 1954, and John Stephenson adapting it into a TNT TV movie in 1999.

Nicholas Stoller adapted the screenplay for Serkis’ long-gestating film, previously set up at Netflix, which...

Sky has debuted a new 30-second teaser trailer for the upcoming animation ‘Riverdance: The Animated Adventure.’

The animation follows an Irish boy named Keegan (Sam Hardy) and a Spanish girl named Moya (Hannah Herman Corte) as they journey into the mythical world of the legendary Megaloceros Giganteus, who teach them to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life.

Directed by Eamonn Butler and Dave Rosenbaum, the film also features the voices of Pierce Brosnan, John Kavanagh, Brendan Gleeson and Aisling Bea.

Also in trailers – ‘Stranger Things’ season 4 cryptic teaser trailer sees Eleven banged-up

The film will be available in the UK & Ireland exclusively on Sky Cinema and streaming service Now on 28 May 2021.

The post Teaser trailer drops for ‘Riverdance: The Animated Adventure’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

UK animation firm Aniventure has set Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones) and Lilly Singh (A Little Late With Lilly Singh) for the lead voice roles of Hitpig and Pickles, respectively, in animated movie Hitpig.

Also joining the voice cast are Rainn Wilson (The Office), RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Hannah Gadsby (Nanette) and Dany Boon (Raid: Special Unit).

Pic is co-directed by Cinzia Angelini, storyboard artist on Minions and Despicable Me 3, and Maurizio Parimbelli, animator on Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. Producers are Adam Nagle (Riverdance: The Animated Adventure) and Dave Rosenbaum (The Secret Life of Pets).

Set in a futuristic world, the film follows a grizzled porcine bounty hunter who accepts his next hit: Pickles (Singh), a naive, ebullient elephant who has escaped the clutches of an evil trillionaire. Though Hitpig initially sets out to capture the perky pachyderm, the unlikely pair find themselves on an...

Plus: Chicago Film fest honours for Peter Bogdanovich, Steve McQueen; and more…

Controversial writer-director-star Nate Parker and his cast will attend the junket sessions for The Birth Of A Nation at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10 and 11.

Fox Searchlight confirmed on Wednesday the sessions will take place at the studio’s Toronto offices at the Fairmont Royal York.

Parker hit the headlines in recent weeks after a 17-year-old rape allegation, for which he was acquitted in 2001, resurfaced.

Last weekend he said in an interview with Ebony: “I never thought about consent as a definition, especially as I do now. I think the definitions of so many things have changed.”

As previously announced, the film will not be the subject of an official Tiff press conference.

The 52nd Chicago International Film Festival, set to run October 13-27, will present Peter Bogdanovich with the Gold Hugo Lifetime Achievement Award and stage a tribute to Steve McQueen in conjunction...