Digital Domain Media Group’s Tradition Studios has enlisted Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams to direct its first CG-animated feature The Legend of Tembo. According to The Hollywood Reporter, DDMG was recruiting talent for project at SIGGRAPH this past week. The film’s poster features a small bird sitting on Tembo the elephant’s head.
According to Pam Coats, Tradition Studios’ head of creative development, The Legend of Tembo is slated to be released in the fall of 2014. Written by Will Schneider, the film centers on a young African elephant that is captured and separated from his family and taken to India. “When he gets to India that’s where sort of the journey takes place, and this is a guy who becomes someone else,” Coats said. “So, he has to transform himself into a fierce, battle elephant, which is based in truth. They did use elephants in battle in India. He has to become something he is not in order to return home.”
Williams and Blaise both joined DDMG in 2010 after more than two decades at Disney. Blaise co-directed the Oscar-nominated Brother Bear and worked as supervising animator on Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan. Williams was the producer on Brother Bear, and also worked on The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
Digital Domain, which is partly owned by director Michael Bay is constructing a 115,00-square-foot facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida.About two months ago, Pixar veteran Brad Lewis (Cars 2) joined Tradition Studios to direct features.
