'Little Nemo' Movie Coming From the Studio Behind 'The Little Prince'

ON Animation Studios are the French/Canadian company behind such films as The Little Prince and Mune: Guardian Of The Moon.  The studio's biggest success so far was undoubtedly Mark Osborne's The Little Prince, and it seems that they are returning to similar material for their next movie.

Like Osborne's movie, their next will also be inspired by a classic. In this case; Little Nemo in Slumberland, the legendary comics stories from Winsor McCay. Hyrum Osmond, head of animation on Moana, has signed on to direct. Also on the project as producers are former Disney animator Lino DiSalvo and former Illumination Vice President Tito Ortiz.

"Little Nemo in Slumberland is a masterpiece that has influenced generations all over the world, breaking new ground in visual storytelling. I look forward to joining the amazing team at ON Animation to bring this beloved work to life,”" Osmond said.

McCay's comic originally ran (on and off) between 1905 and 1926, but this will not, in fact, be the first time the series has been animated. A long-gestating Japanese/US co-production (which Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata worked on briefly before leaving due to creative differences) was finally released in 1989. That film was a box-office flop and generally considered to be a failure.

The stories followed a young boy's adventures in various dreamworlds and were known for their intricate artwork.

If you are at all familiar with the source material, you will realise that this is a very ambitious choice for adaptation- with huge potential to be something special if done right. We don't know yet what approach the movie will take (The Little Prince mixed CGI with stop-motion, whereas Mune was  CG with 2D sections) but you can be sure we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.