Opus Signs w/Miramax

[Sarangel]

Miramax Films will co-finance and distribute computer-animated family films starting with "Opus," adapted from the popular "Bloom County" comic strip, the company said Thursday.

Miramax will release some of the films under its Dimension banner and produce them in conjunction with Wild Brain Inc., a San Francisco-based animated film company perhaps best known for creating the nasty toe fungus in commercials for the prescription drug Lamisil.

The multiyear deal also gives Miramax and Dimension the opportunity to distribute direct-to-video productions fully financed by Wild Brain, the companies said.

The deal envisions lower budget feature films consistent with Miramax's independent studio status. Films will cost about half of the bigger budget movies produced by Pixar Animation Studios or DreamWorks SKG.

"What you spend doesn't necessarily reflect on how good the movie is," said Jim Miller, Wild Brain chairman.

The announcement comes as The Walt Disney Co., which owns Miramax, is gearing up its own computer-animated film production to replace Pixar's films. Disney's deal with Pixar expires after the delivery of next year's film "Cars."

Disney will release its first computer-animated film "Chicken Little" next year.

The Miramax-Wild Brain collaboration will probably produce one film every 18 months or even longer, with the first effort targeted for late 2006 or early 2007.

The choice of subject for the first film reflects Miramax's eclectic tastes and could prove to be a hard sell, especially to younger audiences.

The character of Opus is a rotund penguin with a cynical world view - far from the heartwarming characters at the center of such films as "Finding Nemo."

"We agree that it's a challenge," Miller said. "How do you take the essence of those characters, who are a little cynical, and move them into a story that can reach adults at the 'Bloom County' level and children at their level? We think we have a terrific story."

The challenge has been given to screenwriter Craig Mazin, whose credits include "Scary Movie 3." "Bloom County" is written by Berkeley Breathed.

Dimension has been working on the "Opus" project for a year.

Wild Brain's participation in the deal is being financed by European private equity firm Syntek Capital AG.

Wild Brain also produces the preschool television series "Higglytown Heroes" on the Disney Channel, as well as commercials for Coca-Cola and Nike.

 

[erikthewise]

This is good news, though it remains to be seen how well the delicate humor of the Bloom County strip is handled.

For what it's worth, Opus himself was not the least bit cynical, but had a Pollyanna-type worldview. It was Milo and the others that provided the cynicism when necessary ("MONEY TALKS!") But often it wasn't necessary -- the absurd social and political situations Breathed put the characters in tended to carry their own cynicism. Usually all it took was a bit of eye-rolling on the part of Milo and Opus' extreme naivete.

 

[Cricket2]

Opus did tend to look at "the audience" pretty often didn't he?

 

[Braque]

given to screenwriter Craig Mazin, whose credits include "Scary Movie 3."

that's all

 

[Prince Eric1]

This is great. I love Opus and Bloom County, but I definately liked the old Bloom County better than Outland and Opus. This will be interesting to see if they can take this type of humor and make it into a movie. They tried several years ago with a cartoon on tv that was only so-so.

 

[chesirekate]

I love the 80's Bloom County strips, Breathed kind of lost it with Outland. If the movie focuses on the early days with Bill, Milo, Binkley, Steve, Portnoy, and HodgePodge, I'm there. I want a Billy & The Boingers reunion! I still have the flexi of 'You Stink But I Love You'. I'm guessing it won't be what I hoping it will be...

 

[YoHo]

Please, There stuff is pedestrian after they changed names from DeathTongue.

 

[Prince Eric1]

I'm dying here thinking about this. You people are killing me. I thought I was about the only one who had and remembered the "you stink, but I love you" song. Hey, you don't suppose Donald Trump financed this do you?

 

[mickeyfantroy]

I was always a huge Opus fan! But I agree, many of the Bloom County topics covered would probably not be considered family friendly. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to it.