Illumination Entertainment, the people behind DESPICABLE ME and next year’s THE LORAX, are reviving an iconic cartoon character.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Illumination, a Universal-based animation studio, is crafting a WOODY WOODPECKER film with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky (BLADES OF GLORY) in talks to develop the story. We don’t know if the proposed film would be a live-action/animated feature or fully animated like Illumination’s previous work.
Woody Woodpecker, for those who don’t know, is a loud, easily amused bird with a memorable laugh and a brass personality. He’s kind of like Bugs Bunny but a bird. He first came on the scene in the 1940′s as part of the ANDY PANDA shorts and was voiced by animation legend Mel Blanc. He got his own show in the 1950′s and that’s when Woody Woodpecker really took off. He’s been on and off TV ever since.
Like many of the famed animated characters being brought to the big screen recently, Woody Woodpecker isn’t nearly as popular with young children as he used to be. Like THE SMURFS or YOGI BEAR, he doesn’t have his own show anymore and isn’t as well-known as he once was. That being said, both YOGI BEAR and THE SMURFS did well at the box office so maybe Illumination will be able to sell Woodpecker to an audience that has rarely seen him.
Here’s a WOODPECKER short from the 1940′s. Crazy bird trying to watching baseball…
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