Viva Pictures To Release Aniventure’s ‘Hitpig!’ In November

Viva Pictures has signed on as the U.S. distributor of Hitpig! and will release the film theatrically on November 1, 2024.

The film, adapted from characters first introduced in the children’s book Pete & Pickles by Bloom County creator Berkeley Breathed, is from British production company Aniventure, which has previously completed Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank and Riverdance: The Animated Adventure. Animation provider is Cinesite (The Addams Family 2, Iwájú, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem).

A new trailer for the film was released along with today’s anouncement:

• Hitpig! is directed by two industry veterans: Cinzia Angelini, a feature board artist who also directed the independent short film Mila, and David Feiss, creator of Cow & Chicken and director of Open Season: Scared Silly. The film is produced by Adam Nagle and Dave Rosenbaum, the latter of whom also wrote the screenplay with Tyler Werrin. Isabella Summers of Florence & the Machine scored the film.
• The official synopsis:
  

  Hitpig is a clever bounty hunting pig who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. His next job is his biggest yet: return a dancing elephant named Pickles to a maniacal Vegas showman, for a million bucks. The mission quickly escalates into a wild adventure around the world. When danger looms, it is up to Hitpig to save the day but he can’t do it alone. He must realize that some things are more important than a paycheck and finds the greatest bounty of all, friends.

• Voice cast features Jason Sudeikis as the titular bounty hunter Hitpig, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, RuPaul, Flavor Flav, Hannah Gadsby, Anitta, Lorraine Ashbourne, Andy Serkis, Charlie Adler, and Shelby Young.
• Viva Pictures, which recently launched a two-for-one movie ticket deal for kids, has picked up the pace on releasing family cg features stateside. This year, it has already theatrically released Dragonkeeper and Epic Tails, and will also release 200% Wolf and Scarygirl in 2024. Viva Pictures CEO Victor Elizalde said of this latest pickup:
  

  We are delighted to see indie animation continuing on its incredible growth trajectory at the theatrical level. With Hitpig!’s witty humor, thrilling adventures, and a touching story about friendship and self-discovery, the title is a standout addition to our slate.

• Aniventure’s chief commercial officer and Hitpig! executive producer Joe Della Rosa added in a statement:
  

  Viva Pictures has proven themselves to be one of the best and most efficient distributors of animated family films in the business. They have continued to believe in the importance of the theatrical experience for families, and we’re excited to be partnering with them on bringing Hitpig! to the big screen.