The
'Twas Entertainment Animation Directors Brenda Chapman
(Brave) and Kevin Lima
(Aladdin) have officially signed a First-Look Deal with
Twentieth Century Fox. This means just that of course, in that the studio will have first crack at any animated, live-action, or hybrid film projects from the team, and they already have one ready to go. Although we don't have any particular details about the project as things stand, the
Fox Family project
The Cartoon Touch is the first title to bloom from the green pastures of this partnership, co-written by the duo.
You can see them pictured below, with Oscar-winning Brenda Chapman on the left. She snagged the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2013 by writing and directing
Pixar's Brave. Not only did that movie earn her the Oscar, but it also saw her as the first female director of a feature animated film at a major studio. Once you look past
Brave, you can also see that Chapman has credits for
Beauty and the Beast, The Prince of Egypt, The Lion King, and
The Little Mermaid as well, so it isn't hard to see how impactful she has been on the animation scene throughout her career.
Kevin Lima is pictured on the right in the photo above, next to Chapman. He was the director of
Enchanted, which is a pretty good example of a live action-animation hybrid, and happens to be getting a sequel. In addition, he also directed
Disney's Tarzan and
A Goofy Movie and is credited for
Aladdin,
Beauty and the Beast,
102 Dalmations, and
The Little Mermaid.
You can read their excitement for the deal in their words below. Kevin Lima and Brenda Chapman are repped by WME as well as Candace Carlo and Joel McKuin respectively.
For years, we have worked parallel paths creating films we are each extremely proud of. Now, by combining our talents in 'Twas Entertainment, we're stepping into a new and thrilling phase of our careers and are looking forward to gathering old and new collaborators who share our goal: family films with big heart, infectious humour, and genuine intelligence.