Top Story: Despite A Large Number Of Detractors, Animation Guild Members Ratify New Contract

John Harvatine (left) and Eric Towner will direct “Superbago.”

Sony Pictures Animation is exploring new directions with the announcement of the stop motion/live-action hybrid feature Superbago. The superhero-themed film will be directed by John Harvatine and Eric Towner, both veterans of Robot Chicken among other animated TV shows. The writing team is comprised of Ricky Blitt, Jared Hess, Hubbel Palmer, and Chris Bowman; and Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) will produce with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson.

“I love that our studio has the luxury of not being tied down to one specific type of movie,” said Michelle Raimo Kouyate, president of production at Sony Pictures Animation, in a prepared statement. “Superbago will skew older than our last features but I immediately fell in love with the smart comedy idea behind it which features two irreverent stop motion characters dropped in a live action world. The incredibly talented creative team of directors John Harvatine and Eric Towner along with the unique perspective of producer Jared Hess will make this project like nothing you’ve seen before.”