Wizard of Id and B.C. Rights Secured by New Animation Studio
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The new studio Underneath the Umbrella has secured the right to produce animated movies featuring the Johnny Hart and Brant Parker characters from The Wizard of Id and the Johnny Hart B.C. characters.
From Mercedes Milligan at Animation Magazine:
Goodman Pictures and Tim Johnson (Over the Hedge, Home, Antz) today announced the formation of their new company Underneath the Umbrella Productions and their plans to adapt beloved comic strips for the screen, acquiring the rights to Johnny Hart’s B.C. and Wizard of Id — two of the most enduring and internationally recognized strips in newspaper history — alongside Walter Wangerin Jr.’s National Book Award-winning novel The Book of the Dun Cow.
In addition to producing, animation veteran Tim Johnson is attached to co-write and direct an animated version of the Wizard of Id, the first film from the new venture. Tom Astle (Home, Epic, Get Smart) is co-writing the adaptation.
Both strips were syndicated in thousands of newspapers worldwide and reached millions of readers daily over the course of their long runs. Additionally, both titles won the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Awards — a rare achievement for any comic strip, let alone for two properties by the same creator.
Also both Johnny Hart (1968 for the B.C. comic strip) and Brant Parker (1984 for The Wizard of Id comic strip) have won The Reuben Award as Cartoonist of the Year.
Variety and People are covering the development as well.
This is neither The Wizard of Id’s nor B.C.’s first stab at animation, though a B.C. animated movie from seven years ago failed to move beyond the development stage. The B.C. television specials are more well known than the Wizard of Id shorts.
Patti Hart of John Hart Studios said:
“B.C. and Wizard of Id have connected with readers around the world for generations,” Patti Hart noted in the announcement. “Their humor is timeless, and their reach has always been international. It’s exciting to see them positioned in a way that can introduce these characters to new audiences while honoring what made them endure.”
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