Warner Bros. Plans Seth Green-Produced Photoreal Animated Film Based On ‘Meerkat Manor’ Cable Series

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation announced today that it is making a photoreal film adapted from the documentary cable series Meerkat Manor, which was the highest-rated series on Animal Planet during its original four season run from 2005-2008.

There’s some corporate synergy at play here as Animal Planet was acquired by Warner Bros. after it merged with Discovery. Here’s what we currently know about the project:

• The film, described as “in the spirit of Happy Feet,” is an original story based on the series, which followed the Whiskers, a family of meerkats, as they struggle to survive in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert.
• The film will be produced by Seth Green and Tracy Falco of The Green Room. The film’s executive producers are Caroline Hawkins and Clare Birks of ITV Studios-owned Oxford Scientific Films (OSF) who created the original series.
• Said Bill Damaschke, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, “Along with our partners Tracy, Seth, OSF and ITV Studios, we look forward to creating a photoreal animated family adventure for the next generation and seeing our meerkat friends make their feature film debut in way they’ve never been seen before.”
• “Meerkats have been secondary characters in animated feature films and it’s time they get the star treatment they’ve deserved,” Green and Falco said in a statement. “We believe that the heartwarming and entertaining story of Meerkat Manor, replete with all the drama, emotion and humor of the human experience, will resonate with audiences of all ages. We couldn’t be more excited to bring these lovable characters to life in a new and exciting way, with the perfect partners in Bill Damaschke, Pam Abdy, Mike De Luca and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation.”