Lionsgate Gets Alpha and Omega
Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere Voice Roles in Crest Animation Film
Lionsgate and Crest Animation Productions have hooked up to make Alpha and Omega, an animated comedy about two mismatched wolves.
Lionsgate Entertainment and Crest Animation Productions (India's leading animation studio) are co-financing and co-producing the family-oriented, CGI animated comedy Alpha and Omega, which stars the voices of Hayden Panettierre (Heroes) and Justin Long (Alvin and the Chipmunks). This flick will be the first in a three-picture deal between the two companies.
Alpha and Omega is about two mismatched wolves who must band together if they want to survive. Neither Crest nor Lionsgate have released an image from the film.
Classic Journey Like Nemo, Lion King
"We are very excited to be working with Crest, one of the world's finest CG animation producers. Everyone at Crest is passionate about creating high-quality animated family entertainment, and that commitment is reflected in Alpha and Omega," said Lionsgate producer Ken Katsumoto to PR Newswire. "This is a classic journey film in the vein of Finding Nemo and The Lion King, filled with all manner of richly imagined particulars. And why not begin a partnership with a movie about wolves, one of Nature's most cohesive social units?"
Christina Ricci (the upcoming Speed Racer), Danny Glover (Barnyard), Dennis Hopper (Speed, Easy Rider) and Larry Miller (Bee Movie, The Ant Bully) also voice roles in the flick.
Anthony Bell (Rugrats) and Ben Gluck (that "Disney Classic" Brother Bear 2) share the director's chair, working from a script by Chris Denk (Shark Bait), which was taken from the original story by Steve Moore (Open Season).
"We are thrilled to be in business with Lionsgate, a company that is continually innovating in terms of both production and marketing," said Crest Animation CEO Noah Fogelson. "We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration and feel we are off to a great start with Alpha and Omega. We have a wonderfully talented cast and an outstanding team of filmmakers led by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck, who truly understand the art and craft of animated storytelling."
What's Alpha and Omega About?
The flick's your classic odd-couple-on-a-journey comedy, much like Vanguard Media/Twentieth Century Fox's Space Chimps.
According to Crest and Lionsgate, the flick follows "two bickering wolves -- one a disciplined, Alpha-bred wolf (Panettiere) and the other a fun-loving, comical Omega wolf (Long) -- who are captured and taken thousands of miles from their home. Determined to rejoin their pack, the two mismatched wolves begin a dangerous trek across unfamiliar terrain, battling the odds, the elements, the bears and one another -- and finding love along the way."
Alpha and Omega is currently in production, with pre- and post-production happening in Los Angeles, and the animation going down in Crest's animation studios in India.
Alpha and Omega is scheduled for a 2010 release.
