Still basking in the surprising box office success of its first animated theatrical release, Hoodwinked, The Weinstein Co. has released the cast list for its next CG feature, Doogal. Released in Europe last year under the title Sprung: The Magic Roundabout, the film has been adapted for U.S. audiences by director Butch Hartman, creator of Nickelodeon’s The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom.
The title character will be voiced by Saturday Night Live player Kenan Thompson, who recently played a live-action Fat Albert on the big screen. As candy-loving mutt Doogal, he will match wits with evil sorcerer Zeebad, voiced by Daily Show host Jon Stewart in his animated debut. Doogal will be joined on his quest to save the world by friends Dylan (Jimmy Fallon), Brian (William H. Macy) and Ermintrude (Whoopi Goldberg). Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench serves as narrator, while additional voices are provided Chevy Chase, pop star Kylie Minogue, actor Ian McKellen, filmmaker Kevin Smith, and current Saturday Night Live cast member Bill Hader
Written by Hartman and the Hoodwinked team of Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards and Tony Leech, Doogal takes place in a magical world where three special diamonds can be united to create a force powerful enough to freeze the sun. When Zeebad escapes from his ancient prison and vows to exact revenge by deep-freezing the earth forever, our heroes band together to find the diamonds beore he can get his hands on them. In the process, they must climb icy mountains, navigate fiery pits of molten lava, sail across vast oceans and pass through a booby-trapped temple guarded by an army of ninja skeleton warriors.
The movie is based on the classic British children’s TV series The Magic Roundabout, created by Frenchman Serge Danot in the late 1960s and adapted into English by Eric Thompson. In addition to McKellen and Minogue, the European version of Doogal featured the voices of Ray Winstone (King Arthur, Sexy Beast) Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!, Vanity Fair) and recording artist Robbie Williams. That version was directed by Jean Duval, Frank Passingham and Dave Borthwick.
The Weinstein Co. will release Doogal nationwide on Feb. 24. The company is hoping for a success on the order of Hoodwinked, which was made for less than $20 million and earned nearly $17 million over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Leave a Reply