Funko and Warner Bros. are teaming up for an animated feature, reports Deadline. Warner Animation Group will produce a movie based around Funko’s incredibly popular and profitable collectible Pop! figures. Executive VP of Warner Animation Group, Allison Abbate, will serve as the bridge of the partnership. And she’s more than excited to do so.
Warner Bros. also already has a couple of impressive creative minds attached to the project. Mark Mindal, writer and director of Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove, will direct. Oscar-nominated animator Teddy Newton (Pixar’s Day & Night) is developing the storyline. That means that, as of right now, no story elements or even casting is known. The idea of a Funko Pop! movie may sound like a major cash grab. But Funko CEO Brian Marriotti had some reassuring words:
Movies based on toy lines can often be questionable in terms of quality. One must only look at this year’s UglyDolls to see how wrong it can go. But Warner Bros. is the same company that gave us movies about Legos. And each of those movies was a pure delight. A Funko Pop! movie could follow in those footsteps. We could see DC heroes interacting with Harry Potter characters, among dozens of other pop culture icons.
This is one of several upcoming releases from Warner Animation Group. Space Jam 2, Scoob, and Tom & Jerry are also in development.
