‘The Canterville Ghost’ Hits Theaters Today, Just In Time For Halloween
A new animated feature based on Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost is getting a limited U.S. theatrical run from Blue Fox Entertainment and Shout! Studios. The film will begin screening in select theaters today.
The Canterville Ghost is directed by Kim Burdon and co-directed by Robert Chandler from a screenplay by Keiron Self and Giles New. It’s produced by Space Age Films, Sprout Pictures, Toonz Animation, and Align Group.
The film’s official synopsis reads:
As the nineteenth gives way to the twentieth century and scientific invention brings forth new ways of traversing and seeing the world, a modern American family moves into their recently purchased country home, Canterville Chase, in England, only to find it is haunted by a ghost. Sir Simon de Canterville has been haunting the grounds of Canterville Chase successfully for over three hundred years, but he meets his match when he tries to scare out the new arrivals.
According to the directors, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was their North Star through development and production. They also took narrative and thematic influence from family fare like Nanny McPhee, Peter Pan, and The Princess Bride, injected with the chaos of Tom & Jerry.
In terms of aesthetics, Burdon and Chandler hoped to do something unique with the film’s animation. They said:
Our style of animation using cgi will be very distinctive. The color palette will reflect the seasons through which the story travels: warm golden hues for summer… the russet tones of autumn… bright whites and pale blues for winter… and zesty greens of spring… These exterior tones will contrast dramatically with the creaky colors of the Canterville Chase interiors and the off-kilter, funfair colors of The Walled Garden.
Discussing the development process for the film’s characters, Burdon and Chandler said it was important that they feel like “real people” rather than cartoon characters. They explained:
The characters and the world they inhabit are larger than life but are never caricatures. Our film will have a textural, sensual feel. We juxtapose the decaying Tudor splendor of Sir Simon’s world with the New World design explosion of the beginning of the 20th century, achieving a wonderful timeless feel for the film as a whole.
Although the goal was to create something new and fresh visually Chandler said it was important to show proper respect to the source material:
Adapting Oscar Wilde’s timeless tale into an animated feature has been a labor of love, driven by a deep appreciation for the original material and a desire to captivate audiences of all ages. Our animation team has painstakingly crafted a visually stunning world, where the grandeur of the science and electricity in the Canterville Manor juxtaposes with the ethereal presence of the ghostly inhabitant, placing them both in a splendid English landscape.
The Canterville Ghost hits theaters today. To find out where it’s screening near you, check out the Blue Fox Entertainment website here.
