Canada’s Bron Animation has enlisted the talents of comedy stars Maya Rudolph, Terry Crews, Martin Short, Jane Krakowski and veteran voice actor Sean Cullen for its upcoming animated kids’ book adaptation The Willoughbys. The announcement was made by Bron’s President Brenda Gilbert.
Rudolph will be the voice of Nanny, who looks after the Willoughby children. Crews is voicing the candy mogul, Commander Melanoff, and Short and Krakowski give voice to Father and Mother Willoughby, parents so in love with each other they forget they even have children. Cullen voices the twin boys Barnaby A and B. They join previously announced narrator Ricky Gervais.
Written by Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry and published in 2010, the story follows the four Willoughby children: Tim, Jane and the twins, Barnaby A and B. Abandoned by their selfish parents, they embark on a wild adventure through the modern world, colliding with a cat, an orphan, a nanny and a candy mogul, to reunite with the “family they were born into,” only to discover along the way the value of love in the “family they choose.”
Sony Pictures Animation veteran Kris Pearn is writing and directing the film, with Cory Evans co-directing. Bron’s Brenda Gilbert, Aaron L. Gilbert and Luke Carroll are producing. Gervais serves as an executive producer on the project, alongside Jason Cloth of Creative Wealth Media. The project is currently in pre-production at Bron’s studio in Burnaby, BC.
“We’re so excited to have this amazing cast, some of the funniest actors in the world adding their distinctive voices to the Willoughbys,” said Pearn, “It’s a very special movie with a timely message and I know Ricky, Maya, Terry, Martin, Jane and Sean are going to have so much fun breathing life into these characters.”
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