The Noah’s Ark story has been a popular subject for animation, and it appears that the animals are lining up for another fateful toon cruise. According to Daily Variety, major French entertainment studio Gaumont is making its first foray into CG animation with Rock the Boat, a $35 million feature that will have a sneak peek net week at the American Film Market (AFM).
Described as Some Like it Hot set on Noah’s Ark, Rock the Boat centers on a cheetah and a porcupine who pretend to be other animals in order to secure a spot on the craft as the great flood approaches. Scribe Fabien Suarez is making his directorial debut on the film, co-directing with fellow tyro Andre Bessy. Gaumont’s Franck Chorot is producing. French vfx studio MacGuff Ligne will handle the animation.
Rock the Boat is Gaumont’s first animatated effort since the 1989 2D feature Asterix and the Big Fight. The company is previewing two minutes of the new film at AFM and plans to have a U.S. distribution deal in place before casting the English-language dub. The French version is scheduled to hit theaters by September 2009.
French director Jacques-Remy Girerd tackled the Noah’s Ark concept with his 2003 hand-drawn feature La Proph’tie des Grenuilles (Raining Cats and Frogs). In addition, independent production company Unified Pictures announced this month that it is developing a CG-animated feature titled Noah’s Ark, a retelling of the famous biblical tale from the point of view of the animals. That film is also budgeted at $35 million.
France’s first fully GC feature, 2003’s Kaena: la Proph’tie from Studio Canal, was visually impressive but proved to be a box-office dud. Writer/director Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Leon: The Professional) had better luck with his CG/live action mix Arthur et les Minimoys (Arthur and the Invisibles), which was a hit in France and got a fairly wide release in the U.S. last year. Such award-winning toon features as Les Triplettes de Belleville, Renaissance and Persepolis have also come out of France, but those have not been general audience releases. It seems that Gaumont is banking on the tried-and-true talking animal formula to give them a worldwide hit.
