Several animation industry figures have already committed to the production, including Pete Kozachik, (Coraline, The Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas), Tom Proost, (Coraline, Galaxy Quest, Star Wars: Episode II), Brice Parker, (Jurassic Park, The Matrix) and Tim Taylor, (Coraline, Frankenweenie, Con Air).
“Auntie Claus has been a favorite of my family for years,” said Jon Peters, CEO/founder, Athena Studios. “It has a very appealing story and a strong message. We reached out to Elise Primavera, and were fortunate enough to negotiate a solid deal with her for the film rights.”
“We chose stop-motion as the format for this new, upcoming film because it has a fantastic look and feel that we knew would be perfect for telling this story,” Parker said. “It can also be extremely cost-effective to produce stop-motion when it’s managed properly, and the box office returns of a four-quadrant Christmas film are indisputable. We think Auntie Claus is ideally suited to perform to those expectations.”
Athena Studios has already begun a treatment for the book as well as development on character design and animation tests. Studio executives are currently interviewing potential directors for the film, as well as developing a package for funding and distribution.
“Auntie Claus was first conceived in the mid ’90s, while I was living in New York City,” Primavera said. “From the moment I first had the idea for the book, I thought it would make a wonderful holiday movie. I think this is the medium that Auntie Claus was always meant for.”
