Dave Borthwick, director of the cult favorite feature The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb and the Weinstein Co.’s upcoming toon release, Doogal: The Magic Roundabout, is directing an animated adaptation of Gilbert Shelton’s comic-book creation, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
The stop-motion-animated feature, titled Grass Roots: The Movie, is being produced by Celluloid Dreams (www.celluloid-dreams.com) in Bristol, U.K., where most feature stop-mo is being made these days. In fact, the production is being shot by Dave Alex Riddett, who served as cinematographer for Aardman Animations on Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and the Nick Park shorts A Close Shave and Creature Comforts.
In the upcoming film, the Brothers get hold of some experimental weed that the government hopes to use to control the marijuana market. The boys discover some interesting side effects of the dope and find themselves on the run from the feds. The chase leads them to a remote hiding place where they plan to retire and grow pot, only to find that the secret government marijuana farm is just over the wall. No release date or other details have been unveiled at this time.
Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers series has been a favorite on the underground comic scene for more than 35 years. The comics are available from Rip Off Press at www.ripoffpress.com.
Leave a Reply