17 replies to this topic

[Peter T Chattaway]

Quest for Camelot Scribe Sailing with Noah
QUEST FOR CAMELOT scribe William Schifrin has been hired to write the CG animated feature, NOAH'S ARK. NARNIA-producers Walden Media and Creative Battery are producing. The film will tell the Biblical tale from the point of view of an unlucky camel, who must help save the animals aboard the ark.


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Disney has produced at least two cartoons about Noah's ark, one a 1930s 'Silly Symphony' called Father Noah's Ark, the other a Donald Duck sequence in Fantasia 2000. And there were reports five years ago or so that Bill Cosby was adapting his Noah routine into an animated film too, but I haven't heard anything about that in years.

FWIW, we also have a thread on the 1976 film In Search of Noah's Ark.

[Christian]

This isn't the best place to post this, but it does relate somewhat, so...

I'm still a fairly new parent (oldest daughter is 26 months -- and she just pooped in the potty for the first time today!!), but I'm amazed at how much Noah's Ark merchandise there is out there. Seems that the younger set -- or their parents -- is fascinated with this story. Our daughter's favorite toy during her first year was a Fisher-Price plastic Noah's Ark, with a set of 8 pairs of animals. We received a supplemental set of animals later, and just now I discover that there's yet another set of animals available. Yep, that's right -- they make multiple "add-on" sets of animals to sell to the kids.

We also have a Noah's Ark book by Lucy Cousins, and it's quite good. It includes a two-page spread with God's pronouncement about the wickedness of mankind -- something I thought a children's author would skip right over.

Anyway, I never realized the Ark story was such an industry. I wonder how many unbelieving parents buy these toys for their kids...

Edited by Christian, 16 November 2004 - 03:24 PM.

[Darryl A. Armstrong]

Christian:

Anyway, I never realized the Ark story was such an industry. I wonder how many unbelieving parents buy these toys for their kids...

And then there's the Musical...

[Jason Bortz]

There's also a CGI series called Noah's Park based upon the books by Richard Hayes.

It's all about what happened to the animals after they left the ark; each book centers around different moral lessons and how God figures into the equation...

[Peter T Chattaway]

Yeah, kids do like stories about divine judgment wiping out global populations, don't they ... Whoops, I mean, kids do like fuzzy animals, don't they ...

I am vaguely reminded of a piece in The Door some years back taking certain evangelical environmentalists to task for using Noah's Ark as their corporate symbol ...

Edited by Peter T Chattaway, 16 November 2004 - 04:22 PM.

[Peter T Chattaway]

There are several threads where this could go, but since this thread already links to a few of the others, it seems like the best option...

I compare the 1933 and 1999 Disney cartoon versions of the Noah's Ark story.

[sadida]

It's been a while since this was posted, but I wonder if anyone has heard anything more about the animated Noah's Ark movie?

[Peter T Chattaway]

It looks like the Walden cartoon is no longer in the works... but now comes word of a CG Noah's Ark cartoon from Unified Pictures.

[Peter T Chattaway]

It looks like the Walden cartoon is no longer in the works... but now comes word of a CG Noah's Ark cartoon from Unified Pictures.

And now a French cartoon with English voice actors is in the works. And let us not forget the Noah's Ark cartoon that is already being produced by Promenade Pictures, the makers of The Ten Commandments. Or the Argentinian cartoon that came out last summer:



Lord only knows if any of these films will be completed and/or released in North America, but I say the first one that is can claim this thread all for itself (for the purposes of assigning star ratings, etc.).

[David Smedberg]

Peter, thanks for keeping us in the know. This is fascinating stuff.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Yer welcome. FWIW, I posted a thing at my blog comparing a promo pic for the French film (Rock the Boat, produced by Gaumont, due in theatres Christmas 2009) with a scene from the Donald Duck sequence in Fantasia 2000. Both stills feature a gimmick involving a pictorial checklist. (I would post the pictures here directly, but Blogger tends to block non-Blogger sites from using their pics.)

[Peter T Chattaway]

Why not add The Missing Lynx to the pile. It seems like every time I hear about a new animation studio/deal these days, someone's making a Noah's Ark movie (or a movie with that sort of subtext, at any rate).

[Peter T Chattaway]

Adam Sachs hired to rewrite 'Ark'
Screenwriter Adam Sachs has been hired to rewrite "Aardvark Art's Ark," for producer Donald De Line and original writer-star Casey Affleck. Warner Bros. picked up Affleck's animated family-film spec two years ago. Affleck also is an executive producer on the film.
Sachs will work with De Line, Affleck and De Line Pictures executive Andrew Hass to rework the story of a group of animals who are stranded when they are not chosen to go on Noah's ark.
Hollywood Reporter, July 29

[Peter T Chattaway]

British animation firm to adapt Whitbread-winning Noah's Ark novel Not the End of the World.

[Peter T Chattaway]

Peter T Chattaway, on 01 October 2007 - 02:39 AM, said:

It looks like the Walden cartoon is no longer in the works... but now comes word of a CG Noah's Ark cartoon from Unified Pictures.

And now, two years later, it might finally be happening. One of these movies might finally be happening.

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Rising India floats 'Noah's Ark'
Rising India is co-financing production and distribution of the animated feature "Noah's Ark" with Unified Pictures, with the former providing $40 million for production and P&A. . . . "Ark" is written by Philip LaZebnik ("The Prince of Egypt," "Mulan") and told from the point of view of the animals' journey. Producers are aiming for fall 2011 theatrical release.
Variety, September 24

[Peter T Chattaway]

BTW, here is the website for Unified Pictures, and here is their blog dedicated to this film.

[Peter T Chattaway]

FWIW, the Dove Foundation has approved the script for the Unified Pictures / Rising India movie. Details (including what I assume are some spoilers) here. FWIW, the movie's website is here and a blog devoted to it is here.

[Peter T Chattaway]

The kids are watching my Schoolhouse Rock DVD right now, and I was reminded that one of the cartoons there has a Noah's Ark theme, so:



One of these days I'd like to create a page at my blog with all the Noah's Ark cartoons out there. Most of 'em seem to be on YouTube now.