{"id":885803,"date":"2026-06-22T22:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/885803\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T22:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:29:22","slug":"wbpa-president-bill-damaschke-talks-new-theatrical-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/885803\/","title":{"rendered":"WBPA President Bill Damaschke Talks New Theatrical Chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWarner Bros. Pictures Animation<\/a> President Bill Damaschke<\/a> heralded a new era for the studio\u2019s animated feature arm at the Annecy<\/a> International Animation Film Festival on Monday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve been looking forward to this for a long time because 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter for us. This November, we take a big step forward with the release of our first animated feature film, The Cat in the Hat<\/a>,\u201d he told the audience in Annecy\u2019s 1,400-capacity Bonlieu Theatre.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThree years ago, our team numbered roughly 30 people. Today, our core creative organisation in Burbank is more than 250 artists and filmmakers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe also work across 13 countries and together with our partners around the world, we\u2019ve grown into a global creative community of more than 1200 artists, filmmakers and storytellers, all united by shared belief. Animation is at its best when it\u2019s constantly evolving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tWarner Bros. Pictures Animation slate and release schedule <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWBPA<\/p>\n

\n\tThe presentation gave updates and sneak peeks into seven features being lined-up by WBPA for theatrical spanning: The Cat In The Hat; Bad Fairies<\/a>, Margie Claus<\/a>; \u00a0Oh, The Places You\u2019ll Go!; The Lunar Chronicle and Dynamic Duo and the freshly announced Prehistoria with Vivienne Medrano.<\/p>\n

\n\tFormer DreamWorks Chief Creative Officer and Skydance Animation President Damaschke recounted how his involvement on the theatrical reboot had started a little over three years ago, when he got a call from Warner Bros Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0\u201cThey asked if I\u2019d be interested in helping to rebuild theatrical animation at the studio,\u201d he recounted\u201dWe had a lot of conversations about what the studio could be and really shared a vision for what we wanted to create. We wanted to have a studio driven by filmmakers, powered by artists and free of any house style.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA place where every film could have its own voice, its own visual language, its own creative DNA, yet connected by what I call the three Hs of heart, humor and hope. A studio that would celebrate the iconic characters but also take big swings and tell original stories and create new characters and stories for audiences of the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe noted the aim was also to remain true to the spirit of the legendary early Warner Bros. animators and voices including Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc, Maurice Noble and June Foray among others. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey worked out of a small rundown bungalow on the lot, so famously infested that it was known as Termite Terrace, and from that humble beginning came Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and some of the most enduring characters in the entertainment history. At our studio now in Burbank, our patio is affectionately called Termite Terrace,\u201d said Damaschke.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a nod to Looney Tunes, which the exec described as \u201cthe soul\u201d of the studio, the presentation world premiered Looney Tunes theatrical short\u00a0Daffy Season from directors Todd Wilderman and Hamish Grieve.<\/p>\n

\n\tTapping into the sporting zeitgeist, the slapstick animation, sees Daffy Duck confounded when Elmer Fudd fails to turn up for duck hunting season. Further investigation reveals the seasoned hunter glued to his TV set watching \u201cEuropean soccer\u201d much to Daffy\u2019s disgust.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBringing the Looney Tunes back into the theatres reflects a core belief at Warner Bros Pictures Animation, great characters, comedy and craft deserve the big screen\u2026 Daffy Season marks the beginning of a new theatrical chapter for the Looney Tunes and our continued commitment to these iconic characters,\u201d said producer Susan Slagle Rogers as she introduced the short. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn deep dives into the feature slate, Jon M. Chu and Jill Culton unveiled fresh details on musical animation Oh, The Places You\u2019ll Go! featuring Ariane Grande and Josh Gad in the voice cast. <\/p>\n

\n\tAdapted from the final 1990 book by Dr. Seuss, the film also plays paying tribute to the artistry of the man behind the pen name, Theodor Geisel.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was his farewell and his message to future generations,\u201d said Culton in a pre-recorded video segment. \u201cThe Seuss Foundation introduced us to this book called \u2018The Secret Art Of Dr. Seuss\u2019. He was a painter and a sculptor and his beautiful paintings, all of that just made us say this is what our movie should feel and look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong those making their way to Annecy to join the WBPA presentation were Lunar Chronicles director No\u00eblle Raffaele and producer Christina Steinberg.<\/p>\n

\n\tAdapted from Marissa Meyer\u2019s short story collection transposing fairytale characters such as Cinderella and Rapunzel to a futuristic world, it is one of two animated features being produced under a first-look deal between WBPAnimation and Locksmith Animation alongside Bad Fairies.<\/p>\n

\n\tRaffaele gave a deep dive into the trajectory of Lunar Chronicles protagonist Lynn Cinder (Cinderella), an orphan and underdog who makes her living as a mechanic, hiding the fact that she is a cyborg and 36.28% not human.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThough her secret allows for amazing skills, it also means that no one can truly know her. Because in this world, cyborgs are illegal. That\u2019s why Cinder hides behind her work,\u201d said Raffaele.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe director ran through another half dozen characters and their storyline but added the production was still two and a half years out from completion.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s still lots to do and so much more to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\tA segment for Bad Fairies, about a gang of reprobate fairies, revealed that Serrana Su-Ling Bliss,\u00a0James Acaster\u00a0and\u00a0Dee Bradley Baker have joined\u00a0Cynthia Erivo\u00a0and Ncuti Gatwa in the voice cast of animated <\/a>the musical movie.<\/p>\n

\n\tMegan Nicole Dong\u00a0and co-director Olivier Staphylas\u00a0also confirmed the May 21, 2027 release date for the film.<\/p>\n

\n\tRising UK actress Su-Ling Bliss, best known for her performance as Bessie Chapman in\u00a0Enola Holmes 2, with credits also including Kenneth Branagh\u2019s Oscar-winning\u00a0Belfast, and Roald Dahl\u2019s\u00a0Matilda the Musical, will play the character of Fei, a socially awkward youngster who retreats into her belief of fairies. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn a sign of WBPA\u2019s move to embrace all types of animation, Damaschke also announced the division was partnering with Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss animator and creator Vivienne Medrano<\/a> on her first feature, an original animated musical feature entitled Prehistoria. There were no other details other than the title and the release of pink dragon-like creature. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re proud to announce Vivienne is going to create something very special for the big screen for Warner Brothers. Her first feature film, Prehistoria,\u201d he said. \u201cOur partnerships span continents, cultures and creative disciplines.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor the penultimate sneak peek, Arthur Mintz and Theresa Andersson at Swaybox went behind the scenes of upcoming teen drama Dynamic Duo, devoted the to DC characters Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe story is being done in a brand-new medium no one has seen before, with large scale puppets. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s going to make this project just so unbelievably exciting,\u201d explained Mintz.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s also an exciting entry into the world of Batman. From a teenager point of view, it\u2019s a coming-of-age story. Following these best friends, 15-year-old street thieves Dick Grayson and Jason Todd before we see them turn into the characters that we know they become, Robin and Red Hood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe presentation concludes with a preview of the first 15-minutes of The Cat In The Hat, which will kick-off WBPA\u2019s theatrical push later this year.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe new iteration sees The Cat in the Hat, voiced by Bill Hader, fighting for his job as a professional mischief-maker brought in to cheer up lackluster children after his wild antics go to far. With his job on the line, he is handed over the dossier for two particularly hard hit children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Warner Bros. Pictures Animation President Bill Damaschke heralded a new era for the studio\u2019s animated feature arm at…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":885804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[28],"tags":[326762,350808,359480,324405,171,359481,53,359482,94792,359483,67,132,68,359484],"class_list":["post-885803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-annecy","tag-annecy-international-animation-festival","tag-bad-fairies","tag-bill-damaschke","tag-entertainment","tag-margie-claus","tag-movies","tag-oh-the-places-youll-go","tag-the-cat-in-the-hat","tag-the-lunar-chronicles","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-warner-bros-pictures-animation"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116796127439849494","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/885804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=885803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=885803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}