Family audiences can look forward to a new animated adventure through prehistory with the news that Inkas the Ramferinkas, the story of a perky bird-like dinosaur whose mismatched wings cause him to fly in a unique way, is being adapted into an animated feature. The story was inspired by the music of the Sherman Brothers, known for their work on Disney classics The Jungle Book (1967) and Mary Poppins (1964).
Sherman Theatrical Entertainment has teamed up with independent film producer Niels Juul (The Irishman) to bring the animated musical to screens. Inkas will feature songs written by the Sherman Brothers, and has the bittersweet distinction of being the first and last full musical created by songwriting duo Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who passed away in 2012. The screenplay is written by the Sherman Brothers and by Robert’s son, Robbie Sherman.
According to Robbie Sherman’s website, the story centers on Inkas, the zig-zag flying “weather bird” for the Lush Green Valley where he lives with his giant vegetarian Apatosaur and Brontosaur friends. One day, Inkas finds a lost baby Anklysaur — but a change in his special medallion warns of danger approaching in the form of a pack of ferocious-looking carnivorous dinosaurs heading their way.
Among the Sherman Brothers’ best known compositions are the double Oscar-winning score and original song “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from Mary Poppins (1964) and the pop culture touchstone song “It’s a Small World (After All)” for the classic Disneyland ride. Over their shared career, the Shermans earned nine Oscar nominations, two Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Their animation credits also include Disney’s The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Aristocats (1970) tune “Scales and Arpeggios,” several Winnie the Pooh movies, including Honey Tree, Blustery Day and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too; Hanna-Barbera’s Charlotte’s Web (1979); and Bill Melendez’s Snoopy Come Home (1972).
Richard Sherman recently composed the main title theme to Disney Legend Andreas Deja’s new animated short, Mushka, which had a sold-out premiere screening at the 2023 Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film.
[Source: Variety]
