He's been making movies for decades, but one thing Ron Howard has not yet done is work on an animated film. He's now looking to change that, setting up The Shrinking Of Treehorn with Paramount and animation company Animal Logic.
Rob Lieber is on board to adapt Florence Parry Heide's book, which was originally published in 1971. The story follows a young man who begins shrinking in size after playing a strange board game, which goes largely unnoticed by his parents. Edward Gorey illustrated the book, and the film is looking to stick with his aesthetic.
It's all part of a new deal between Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine company and Animal Logic, which includes a set of movies that will either be animated or blend that with live-action. Paramount is also distributing Rainbow Serpent, to be written by Stuart Beattie, which will have its roots in Australian aboriginal culture.
Then there is buddy comedy Zero from Carlos Stevens, Jonathon Stewart and Eyal Podell, which explores the connection between family and technology, which will arrive via Warner Bros. Finally, the companies are figuring out Muttnik, a live-action/animated hybrid that sees a dog launched into orbit as part of the Russian space programme who crosses the space-time continuum and comes back to his family as an evolved creature. That one has yet to find a studio home. There's no indication yet when Treehorn will be released.
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