Alcon Entertainment has signed David Pimental – who was head of story for Disney’s Moana – and Douglas Sweetland – who directed Warner Animation Group’s Storks – to direct the animated fantasy adventure feature film Darkmouth. The adapted screenplay will be penned by Lloyd Taylor.
The announcement was made by Alcon Entertainment’s co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.
Based on the popular HarperCollins children book series from Irish author Shane Hegarty, the movie is a comedic adventure fantasy about an overeager kid who bites off more than he can chew when he prematurely jumps into the family business: hunting monsters.
Simon Brooks (Love, Rosie) of Canyon Creek Films, 8:38 Productions’ Kira Davis (Prisoners) and Craig Peck, who produced the short film Chalk for Walt Disney Animation Studios before moving into feature animation, will produce along with Johnson and Kosove. Brooks and Davis brought the project to Alcon and Jeannette Hill-Yonis and Scott Parish negotiated the deal for Alcon with Marianne Gunn O’Connor.
Apart from Moana, Pimentel’s other projects include Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Big Hero 6 (story artist), DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon (story artist), Tarzan, Bee Movie, Shark Tale and many others.
Douglas Sweetland has previously served for Pixar Animation Studio’s Monsters, Inc., Cars, The Incredibles and Toy Story.
Lloyd Taylor most recently worked on Fox Animation’s upcoming feature Pigeon Impossible. He began his career in the Disney Writers Program, where he worked on such films as Race to Witch Mountain and Enchanted.
Hegarty is repped by Marianne Gunn O’Connor of The Marianne Gunn O’Connor Literary, Film and TV Agency. Taylor is repped by Verve and Management 360.
HarperCollins Children’s Books has published the first three installments of Hegarty’s series- Darkmouth: The Legends Begin, Worlds Explode and Chaos Descends in the UK, Ireland, Australia and the USA.
