Paramount recently announced their new president of their animation division, Mireille Soria (Home, Madagascar). Viacom, Paramount’s parent company, has tasked them to make movies that are franchise friendly, and easy to adapt to and from television. There is a particular emphasis with using characters from Nickelodeon (which they own).
Soria has a long history in animation, both with original and adapted features. She was a producer on Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, the Madagascar franchise, Home, and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. She also served as co-president of feature animation at DreamWorks Animation, and worked on “Trolls” and “Boss Baby.”
Basically, Soria is awesome, and is just the person to bring Paramount-owned intellectual properties to the big screen. With that in mind, here are 5 animated properties that Paramount Animation, and Soria, should consider pursuing:
4. The Wild Thornberrys
Thornberrys was a fan favorite, mostly due to the varied personalities of the Thornberry family and the cool animals. So the film should be easy; there’s already been two theatrical releases.
This one should act as a launch point for a new show, with an older Eliza Thornberry, and her increasingly less-able-to-adventure parents. Then mix in a plot point that dares to be timely: climate change and the rapidly increasing rate of disappearing species. The show never shied away from serious topics like poaching, so it will feel like a natural progression.
Someone else can work out the details, but the movie can hand off to a new show about a younger protégé of Eliza’s. Also, keep Donny. Everybody loved that wacky kid.
