Following in the footsteps of their Danish rival, LEGO, the German toy company Playmobil has been developing its own feature film take on the company’s popular toy line. Today, Variety reports that Cross Creek Pictures’ Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels has found a director in Lino Di Salvo, the head of animation on Disney’s megahit Frozen as well as several other big movies for the studio. DreamWorks veteran Bob Persichetti (Monsters vs. Aliens, Shrek 2) had been previously announced as writing and directing the film alongside a development team built of the same creatives that made ON Entertainment’s The Little Prince feature.
“I’ve learned most of my skills by growing up in the Disney system; I was very fortunate to work on films like ‘Tangled’ and ‘Frozen,’” said Lino DiSalvo. “I am thrilled at the perspective of developing the Playmobil film. As a father and a filmmaker, to create a film about your son’s favorite toy, what else do you want?”
Created by Hans Beck in 1974, Playmobil playsets have become a favorite of children, best known for their iconic figurines that pre-date the LEGO minifigure. Over 2.7 billion figurines have been sold worldwide, with 30 different play worlds for the filmmakers to mine for story ideas.
Paris-based ON Entertainment is partnering on the Playmobile movie alongside Wild Bunch and Pathe. It is also noted that Playmobil: Robbers, Thieves & Rebels is just the first film in what is being planned as a franchise.
In addition to Rassam, the Playmobil movie is being produced by Aton Soumache, Alexis Vonarb and Moritz Borman, with production set to commence in Montreal at ON Entertainments animation division for a worldwide theatrical release at the end of 2017.
