First-ever animated adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic stars Stephen Fry as Sir Simon, a ghost content with haunting his ancestral home until an American family buys the estate and moves in; theatrical release set for this Halloween season.
Shout! Studios and Blue Fox Entertainment have acquired the North American rights to The Canterville Ghost from Cinema Management Group. The first-ever animated adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic was co-penned by Giles New and Keiron Self.
Kim Burdon (Stressed Eric) and Robert Chandler (The Amazing Maurice) direct the warm, charming, and humorous story of a ghost, Sir Simon, who has been haunting his ancestral home, Canterville Chase, for over 300 years. But everything changes when an American family buys the estate and moves in. The family is unimpressed with Sir Simon’s ghostly antics, finding him to be a bit of a nuisance and not scary at all. This classic tale is still part of the English language curriculum in various countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Italy, India, and the Czech Republic.
Stephen Fry voices Sir Simon, and is joined by Hugh Laurie (House), Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor), Emily Carey (House of the Dragon), David Harewood (Supergirl), Meera Syal (Yesterday), Miranda Hart (Spy), Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Imelda Staunton (The Crown).
“We are thrilled about this new opportunity to work with CMG following our successful release with Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon,” said Shout! Studios’ EVP, Kids & Family Entertainment, Melissa Boag in a statement. “Furthermore, we’re excited to be collaborating with Blue Fox Entertainment. “This unique opportunity brings together the entrepreneurial spirit and expertise that have defined three great independent media companies. Together, we look forward to presenting this captivating feature to a broad audience.”
Blue Fox Entertainment founder James Huntsman added, “We are thrilled to partner with the amazing team at Shout! Studios and take this animated family ghost story to theatrical audiences across the country just in time for Halloween.”
Chandler of Space Age Films produces alongside Gina Carter of Sprout Pictures, P. Jayakumar of Toonz Media Group, and Nadia Khamlichi and Martin Metz of Align. Fry, Jerry Hibbert, Bob Benton, Hilary Strong, Edward Noeltner, Nessa McGill, Nadia Khamlichi, Pual Cummins, Paul, Grindey, and Charles Moore executive produce.
The film was produced in partnership between Toonz Media Group and an ensemble of producers at Chandler’s Space Age Films as well as Carter and Fry’s Sprout Pictures. The animation was produced in India, while the pre- and post-production were done in the U.K. and Ireland.
The Canterville Ghost is set for a theatrical launch this Halloween with a rollout across multiple platforms soon after.
Source: Shout! Factory
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—Laurén brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
