The Playmobil toys make the jump to the big screen in the trailer for Playmobil: The Movie. In the wake of The LEGO Movie's success in 2014, Hollywood has been actively searching for the next hit toy-based movie franchise. DreamWorks turned the Trolls brand into an animated movie two years ago, and the film was profitable enough to get a sequel scheduled for 2020. STX will attempt to replicate their success next year with the UglyDolls movie, as will On Animation Studios with its Playmobil adaptation.
Created by the German toymaker Brandstätter Group in 1974, the Playmobil line encompasses a wide variety of historical themes and characters (varying from knights to vikings and old-school circus performers). The property has already made the leap to TV and has multiple Playmobil theme parks across Europe, as well as a Florida location that's since closed. Now, the franchise is going to try its hand at a film that blends live-action with CGI animation.
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The teaser trailer for the Plamobil movie is now online, ahead of its premiere in theaters with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse this weekend. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Split) as Maria, a young woman whose kid brother Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) is magically sucked into the world of Playmobil. Left with no other choice, Maria sets out on an adventure to rescue her sibling, bringing her face to face with beings like the "smooth-talking" food truck driver Del (Jim Gaffigan), "charismatic" secret agent Rex Dasher (Daniel Radcliffe), and an "extravagant" fairy-godmother (Meghan Trainor) along the way. For more, watch the Playmobil teaser in the space below.
Playmobil: The Movie marks the directorial debut for Lino DiSalvo, who used to work as an animation supervisor for Disney on films like Bolt, Tangled, and Frozen. Nevertheless, the animated footage in the Playmobil teaser arguably seems closer to the quality of a direct to video production than a theatrical release (much less, a Disney movie). The Playmobil cast similarly lacks the sort of A-list talent that tend to flock to major animated films these days, even with celebrated character actors like Taylor-Joy and Radcliffe in the lineup. Between all that and its generic premise, Playmobil: The Movie doesn't exactly feel like the next LEGO Movie in the making.
Still, the film seems harmless enough, and might yet prove to be more charming and/or inventive than expected. Its box office forecast, however, is less hopeful. Playmobil: The Movie is slated to arrive in 2019, which is already shaping up to be a competitive year for animated movies in general. Indeed, between The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Toy Story 4, The Secret Life of Pets 2, and Frozen 2, animation fans are going to have plenty of entertainment options demanding their attention ahead of Playmobil.
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Playmobil: The Movie hits UK theaters on August 9, 2019. We will keep you updated on the film's U.S. theatrical release.
Source: StudioCanal UK
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