Spin Master Corp. has greenlit an animated, four-quadrant film directed by BAFTA and Annie Award nominee David Soren. This is the first original film by Spin Master’s entertainment studio, signifying a major milestone for the company behind some of the world’s most recognizable kids’ television series.
“The announcement of this original film showcases our ambition to expand our foothold in the family animated theatrical business,” said Jennifer Dodge, President of Spin Master Entertainment. “As we broaden our content portfolio, we’re partnering with leaders in the industry to tell original, engaging stories, while also leveraging our established catalogue of IP. With David’s well-earned reputation in family entertainment, we believe this feature film will inspire and entertain audiences around the globe.”
The film is written by Ian Southwood, based on a story by veteran animation creator Chris Dicker. Spin Master’s Dodge, Laura Clunie and Toni Stevens, previously at the helm for the studio’s powerhouse “PAW Patrol” theatricals, are producing the film. Spin Master is financing the production with plans for a 2029 release.
Soren directed and co-wrote “Turbo,” the BAFTA Award-nominated DreamWorks Animation feature film starring Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” starring Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll and Jordan Peele. He also directed and co-wrote “Under the Boardwalk,” starring Keke Palmer, Michael Cera and Bobby Cannavale; served as Story Artist and Head of Story on hit films including Academy Award winner “Shrek,” “Shark Tale,” “Chicken Run” and “Over the Hedge”; and was a key contributor on the “Madagascar” franchise.
Southwood is known for contributing to the script of Netflix’s “Nimona,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Film. Prior to his work with Spin Master, he served as a screenwriter for DreamWorks Animation, before which he was with Blue Sky Studios, the 20th Century Animation company behind the “Ice Age” franchise.
Dicker, an award-winning creator from Ireland, has worked for 25 years in the kids and family space. He creates original IP across many mediums. This original story is his first to come to life on the big screen.
“We just felt that the time was right at Spin Master to come out with an original family animated theatrical feature, and there are several reasons behind that,” Dodge tells Variety of the new film. “We love our own homegrown IP — ‘Paw Patrol’ started as homegrown IP inside of Spin Master entertainment. That’s what we do: create characters and worlds and bring them to life. We also felt like it’s really a moment for family theatrical experiences. What we’ve seen this year and in the last few years, since COVID, is that families are still very much looking for that theatrical experience to bring their kids to. We strongly believe that that holds true, not just for known IP, but also for great original stories.”
Among the company’s other upcoming films is “PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie,” set for theatrical release on July 24, 2026. The third film in the hit franchise is based on one of the most popular children’s television series, featuring a star-studded cast including EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, Emmy nominee Mckenna Grace and Fortune Feimster. Spin Master is also in active development on a live-action “Bakugan” film to be directed by Brad Peyton, based on the toy line that has generated over $1 billion in sales since its launch.
Dodge is still staying tight-lipped on the film’s plot details, but promises “a four-quadrant, family-friendly” flick with “lots of fun action, lots of comedy and a really heartwarming character story in a very beautiful landscape.”
She looks forward to utilizing the robust resources within Spin Master to give the project life across many different mediums. “We’re really planning and preparing for this first film to be just one of several pieces of content within this new IP. As we do with everything, we’re looking at it from a franchise point of view. We’re thinking about subsequent movies. We’re thinking about other kinds of content. We’re thinking about all the things that we do at Spin Master, being an entertainment, toy and digital games company.”
Spin Master will continue to grow its film slate in the coming years, Dodge says. “Outside of animation, we’re also looking at live action for those family-friendly, big moments at the theater. And we have a whole slate of both live action and animated properties in our feature film development slate. This should be the first of many announcements coming!”
Soren is represented by Verve and WME Books. Southwood is represented by Culture Creative, Adrian Garcia at Recon Literary, and Emily Downs at Meyer & Downs, LLP.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source variety.com ’
