Noah Jupe, Brian Tyree Henry, Mandy Patinkin, and Benedict Wong have been lined up to voice star in The Magician’s Elephant, Netflix’s animated adaptation of the book of the same name by Kate DeCamilo.
The voice cast also includes Sian Clifford, Pixie Davies, Natasia Demetriou, Dawn French, Aasif Mandvi, Miranda Richardson, Cree Summer and Lorraine Toussaint.
Currently in production, the film marks the directorial debut of visual effects vet Wendy Rogers, who served as VFX supervisor on The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian as well as animated feature Flushed Away. Julia Pistor is on board to produce.
The Magician’s Elephant, adapted for the screen Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4), follows Peter (Jupe), who is searching for his long-lost sister (Davies). When he crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, he want to know, is his sister still alive? To get the answer, he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician (Wong) who will conjure it, setting Peter off on a journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town.
“Peter’s story planted itself in my heart when I first read the book – I felt very connected to him, and was totally captivated by the world and the characters,” says Rogers. “The power of hope, the belief that anything is possible, and the ability to ask ‘what if?’ are all themes that are woven into the fabric of this film, and resonate now more than ever.”
Sydney-based Animal Logic (Happy Feet) is producing the computer animation, and department heads include editor Robert Fisher Jr. (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and production designer Max Boas (Abominable).
Netflix’s upcoming animated feature slate also includes Back to the Outback directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure, Chris Williams’ The Sea Beast, Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and an Aardman sequel to Chicken Run.