Pixel Zoo Adapting ‘Neverlanders’ Graphic Novel to Animated Movie

Australia’s Pixel Zoo Animation Studios has acquired the rights to the award-winning graphic novel, Neverlanders. The studio’s Pixel Labs original content division will adapt the book from fellow Australian creatives, No. 1 New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning author Tom Taylor (Nightwing) and acclaimed illustrator Jon Sommariva (Batman/TMNT).

Neverlanders (Penguin Random House) is a YA graphic novel set in a reimagined world of Peter Pan. The story finds Neverland has become a war zone, and it’s up to a new group of ‘Lost Ones’ to save the day.

Aimed at teens and family audiences, the movie will be scripted by Taylor and art directed by Sommariva. In addition to his work in comics, including Dark Knights of Steel, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Children of the Round Table and several Star Wars series, Taylor is head writer and executive producer of the animated series The Deep, currently in its fourth season and airing in 140-plus territories. Sommariva’s additional illustrator credits include Star Wars Adventures, Harley Quinn and Multiverse: Collision Detected; he is also co-creator of Image Comics’ Gemini.

“It has always been important for Pixel Zoo to champion talent, original stories and world class animation in Australia, so we are thrilled to partner with the brilliant Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva,” said Gonzalez. “Our team will work closely with Tom and Jon to ensure we stay true to the soul of Neverlanders while expanding the graphic novel into the kind of cinematic adventure only animation can deliver.”

Taylor and Sommariva said in a joint statement, “Pixel Zoo’s passion for our story, our world, and our characters is undeniable and made them the natural choice to bring Neverlanders to the screen. We’re excited to collaborate with Sebastian and the entire Pixel Zoo team and use our collective pixie dust to deliver an animated film that will delight fans around the world.”

Neverlanders Book Synopsis: Bee and her fellow runaways are their own found family. When stranger Paco saves her life, Bee invites him to join their crew, thinking he’s another lost teen. They soon discover Paco is a Lost Boy from Neverland who needs Bee and the others to come back with him. The group is spirited away by a foul-mouthed Tinker Bell and discover that Neverland is not some fun-filled hideaway, it’s a war zone under siege by a horde of pirates with a merciless new leader who will stop at nothing to steal the land’s magic.

Tink leads a fairy army that barely holds them at bay. Peter Pan is gone, and the rest of the Lost Boys have been killed. Paco is all that remains … but he hopes that this group of teens will become the new Lost Ones. These young runaways may be Neverland’s only hope — but they’re about to learn that it’ll take a lot more than happy thoughts to win a war.

Neverlanders was named 2023 Book of the Year for Older Readers by Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) and received France’s Prize des Collegiens de la Somme Award at the 2025 Rendez-Vous de la Bande Dessinée d’Amiens comics festival. The book is currently available in the U.S., Australia, France, Spain and Norway. A sequel, Neverlanders: Get Lost, is set to be published in summer of 2026.

Taylor and Sommariva were represented in the deal by Stephen Moore at Paul Kohner, Inc. on behalf of Adams Literary.

Pixel Zoo, a Brisbane-based independent animation studio whose parent company is MGA Studios, creates kids and family entertainment content for clients around the globe such as Hasbro, MGA Entertainment, Spin Master, eOne and Moonbug Entertainment. Under its new Pixel Labs banner, the studio is developing original content, establishing new co-production deals and optioning children’s books and graphic novels for film, television series and digital and YouTube.

Pixel Labs’ projects in various stages of development include a CG action-adventure series based on the bestselling children’s books The Secret Explorers; You Wish, based on Jeff Victor’s graphic novel; animated magical home makeover show Fixie Pixies from Emmy-nominated creator Corey Powell and Aaron Simpson; and Kitty Witch, a new original series with up and coming Australian creator Samuel Keene, about a young girl who discovers her kitten is part of a secret coven of cat witches.

pixelzoo.com.au