Leading Irish animation company Brown Bag Films is to begin pre-production on its first animated feature, ‘Nightglider’, early next year.
A co-production with US producers Wind Dancer Films, ‘Nightglider’ will be directed by Brown Bag Films co-owner and creative director Darragh O’Connell.
The film is scheduled to begin pre-production in early 2013 with Brown Bag serving as the lead animation studio for the production.
Wind Dancer will secure finance for the project through international and domestic sales, as well as its own investment.
The US production company is best known for its live-action feature projects, including the Mel Gibson feature ‘What Women Want’. ‘Nightglider’ will mark its first animated feature.
Both companies plan to work together to select an international sales agent and are also planning to explore further co-production opportunities over the coming months.
Written by Jeremy Shipp, ‘Nightglider’ will tell the story of a flying squirrel raised as a tree squirrel who becomes convinced that he’s a super-hero when he discovers that he can fly.
Brown Bag Films’ Gregory R. Little will produce with Wind Dancer’s Matt Williams, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve and Judd Payne. Little developed the project and brought it to Brown Bag upon joining the company.
Little said he is “delighted” to be working alongside Wind Dancer and praised the team’s “creative point of view and experience in finance and distribution.”
‘Nightglider’ has been developed with support from the Irish Film Board and was offered a development loan of €15,000 in the last round of IFB funding.
