After a multi-studio bidding war, preschool icon Bob the Builder will be constructing its new animated movie with Amazon MGM Studios. According to Deadline, the project from Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions, animation studio ShadowMachine (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, BoJack Horseman) and [producer Anthony Ramos, was also being courted by DreamWorks, Netflix and other major players.
The project stars Ramos (Twisters, In the Heights) as the the voice of Bob, and the actor-producer sparked the idea to set the big screen adventure in Puerto Rico with a focus on the resilience of Latino culture — taking inspiration from the character’s catchphrase, “Yes we can,” (“Si se puede” in Spanish). The film will follow Roberto/Bob to the island for a major construction job, where he takes on local issues and digs deeperinto what it means to be a builder.
The script is being adapted by Felipe Vargas, writer-director of festival award-winning short Milk Teeth. Producers also includeAlex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico for ShadowMachine, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and Benny Medina for Nuyorican. The film is overseen by Kevin McKeon, Ivan Sanchez and Arturo Thur De Koós for Mattel and Natalie Haack Flores for Nuyorican.
Lopez, who has lent her voice to Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and Home (2015), is not said to be in talks for a voice role in the film. It is also unconfirmed whether Amazon is planning a theatrical or streaming release through Prime Video.
Created by Keith Chapman (PAW Patrol, Fifi and the Flowertots), Bob the Builder debuted in the U.K. in 1999, swiftly becoming a preschool superhit. It aired up to 2011 when Mattel acquired British rightsholder HIT Entertainment for $680 million. The new owners launched a revamped Bob the Builder series with an updated CG design in 2014 on Milkshake. The series aired in the U.S. on Nick Jr. for the first six season, then moved to PBS Kids.
The show centers on Bob, his friends and colleagues and a collection of anthropomorphized construction vehicles who tackle various construction challenges. With the catchphrase, “Can we fix it? Yes, we can!” Bob and his crew demonstrate for their preschool audience the problem-solving powers of positive thinking, imagination and teamwork.
[Source: Deadline]
