Viva Pictures Acquires Animated Feature ‘Hitpig!’ Starring Jason Sudeikis For November Release
EXCLUSIVE: Viva Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Hitpig!, a new animated feature starring Ted Lasso‘s Jason Sudeikis, for release in theaters nationwide on November 1. Check out a trailer for the film above.
Based on the New York Times bestseller Pete & Pickles from Berkeley Breathed, the film follows a clever bounty hunting pig (Sudeikis) who catches escaped animals and returns them to their owners. The next job for Hitpig is his biggest yet: returning a dancing elephant named Pickles (Lilly Singh) to a maniacal Vegas showman (Rainn Wilson), for a million bucks. The mission quickly escalates into a wild adventure around the world, and when danger looms, it’s up to Hitpig to save the day, though he can’t do it alone. Eventually, he must realize that some things are more important than a paycheck, coming to discover that friends are the greatest bounty of all.
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Produced by Aniventure, whose credits include Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank and Netflix’s Oscar-nominated Klaus, as well as Andy Serkis’ forthcoming adaptation of Animal Farm, Hitpig! also features voice work from RuPaul, Flavor Flav, comedian Hannah Gadsby, pop star Anitta, Lorraine Ashbourne (Bridgerton), Serkis, Charlie Adler (Transformers franchise), and Shelby Young (Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga).
Cinzia Angelini (Mila) and David Feiss (Cow & Chicken) directed from a script by Dave Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin (The Lorax), which was based on a story by Breathed. Adam Nagle (Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank) and Dave Rosenbaum (Animal Farm) produced the film, with Cinesite (The Addams Family 2, Iwájú) overseeing the animation, and Isabella Summers of indie rock band Florence and the Machine penning the score.
Said Victor Elizalde, CEO of Viva Pictures, “We are delighted to see indie animation continuing on its incredible growth trajectory at the theatrical level. With HITPIG!‘s witty humour, thrilling adventures, and a touching story about friendship and self-discovery, the title is a standout addition to our slate.”
Added executive producer Joe Della Rosa, who serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Aniventure, “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.”
Other upcoming releases for Viva Pictures include 200% Wolf and Scarygirl. VP of Acquisitions Laura Prieto negotiated the deal on behalf of the company, with Della Rosa from Aniventure repping the production.
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