Larrikins (partially found unfinished DreamWorks film; 2013-2017): Difference between revisions

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
mNo edit summary
(24 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{LMW
{{InfoboxLost
|title=Larrikins
|title=<center>Larrikins</center>
|description=cancelled DreamWorks film
|image=BilbyPoster.jpg
|startyear=2018
|imagecaption=Poster for ''Bilby'', the short based on ''Larrikins''.
|timeframe=No
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|status=Partially found
|category=Lost animation; Lost films
}}
}}
''Larrikins'' was an animated musical comedy to be released by DreamWorks in February 2018. It was cancelled in March 2017, alongside layoffs of many DreamWorks employees, when the studio was acquired by NBCUniversal. Eventually the assets were repurposed for the short film ''Bilby'', released on June 16, 2018 at the 2018 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and later uploaded to YouTube on December 21, 2018.
'''''Larrikins''''' is an animated comedy musical that was at one point in development at DreamWorks Animation. First announced in 2013, the movie was based on an original story written by screenwriter Harry Cripps, which told the story of a bilby named Perry who leaves home alongside Red the kangaroo to travel across the Australian Outback.


Not much is known about the plot, but it was to feature Perry the bilby and Red the kangaroo traveling across the Australian Outback. However, some animation from the original film has leaked via demo reels from animators, as well as a fair amount concept artwork.
The movie had actors such as Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, and Naomi Watts set to star in unspecified roles; English-Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin held the helm of the project, writing songs for the movie, as well co-directing it alongside DreamWorks veteran Chris Miller. The movie was slated for a February 16th, 2018 release, which would have made it the first DreamWorks Animation movie to be distributed by Universal Pictures, after the latter’s parent company, Comcast, acquiring the animation studio in March 2016.
==Videos==
 
{{Video|perrow  =2
==Cancellation and ''Bilby''==
   |service1    =vimeo
On March 5th, 2017, Tim Minchin announced on his personal blog that DreamWorks had cancelled ''Larrikins''.<ref>[https://www.timminchin.com/2017/03/05/new-york-tim-getting-drunk-and-playing-ballads-at-studio-54-below-tomorrow/ Tim Minchin's blog post regarding Larrikins' cancellation.] Retrieved 11 Jul '19</ref> However, with the movie far into production, members of ''Larrikins''’ production team, Liron Topaz, Pierre Perifel and JP Sanscertain, made use of the assets already made for the film, like character and background models, and came up with the short film ''Bilby'',  titled after the main character’s species, which premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2018.<ref>[https://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/dreamworks-directors-on-how-they-made-bilby-and-on-the-studios-new-shorts-program-exclusive-clip-162672.html Cartoon Brew’s interview with the directors of ‘’Bilby’’.] Retrieved 11 Jul '19</ref>
   |id1          =https://vimeo.com/316262218
 
   |description1 =Demo reel by animator Alexis Wanneroy.
On December 21st, 2018 ''Bilby'' was uploaded to DreamWorks' official YouTube channel, but was deleted sometime afterward, however it was released as a bonus feature on the Blu Ray release of ''How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World''.
   |service2    =vimeo
 
   |id2          =https://vimeo.com/292050350
In an interview for the website Film Stories, in April 2020, Tim Minchin revealed that after its cancellation, studios like Netflix and Animal Logic wanted to buy the rights to the movie, but with no avail, for he claimed that Universal made it non-viable for purchase, likely due to DreamWorks' commitment to ''Bilby'' at the time.<ref>[https://www.filmstories.co.uk/news/tim-minchin-opens-up-on-the-shutting-down-of-his-animated-film/  Film Stories's Interview with Tim Minchin], Retrieved, 06 May '21</ref>
   |description2 =Demo reel by animator Scott Lemmer. Larrikins footage starting at 2:03.
 
==Surfaced Footage==
Months after the movie's cancellation, animators have uploaded character and animation reels with work done for DreamWorks, most notably featuring footage from ''Larrikins'', starting with Dave Weatherly, who uploaded on December 7th 2017 a six minute-long character reel, three of which dedicated to the cancelled movie. Several people who worked on the movie followed suit.
 
On September 26, 2018, animator Scott Lemmer uploaded on his Vimeo account an animation reel showing footage from ''Larrikins''. On January 29th, 2019, Alexis Wanneroy, former animation supervisor at DreamWorks, also uploaded onto his Vimeo account another reel showing footage from both ''Bilby'' and ''Larrikins'', as well as ''[[B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (partially found unreleased Dreamworks Animation film; 2015)|B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations]]'', another unreleased DreamWorks project. A couple of days later, on February 9th, Wanneroy uploaded a pre-production reel showing additional animation from both cancelled movies. Roughly 50 seconds of footage consists of animation tests from ''Larrikins'', while 25 more seconds come from two finished scenes, one of which features Perry, which would become the eponymous character from the short ''Bilby''.
 
On September 22, 2019, animation director Rune Bennicke uploaded two storyboard reels on his Twitter account.<ref>[https://twitter.com/runebennicke/status/1176004730763403265 Bennicke's storyboard, part 1] Retrieved 23 Sep '19</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/runebennicke/status/1176005287049695232 Bennicke's storyboard, part 2] Retrieved 23 Sep '19</ref>
 
===Concept Art===
Shortly after the movie's cancelation, illustrator and character designer Peter de Sève shared concept art of ''Larrikins''.<ref>[https://twitter.com/peterdeseve/status/838890084933992449 Peter de Sève's first tweet with concept art.] Retrieved 11 Jul '19</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/peterdeseve/status/850021757054537729 Peter de Sève's second tweet.] Retrieved 11 Jul '19</ref> de Sève shared more ''Larrikins'' concept art after ''Bilby'' being released online.<ref>[https://twitter.com/peterdeseve/status/1080637923182239744 Peter de Sève's third tweet (thread).] Retrieved 09 Jul '19</ref>
 
On April 24th, 2019, DreamWorks art director Richard Daskas shared concept paintings on Tumblr, crediting de Sève and animator Pierre Perifel for the character design.<ref>[https://rdaskas.tumblr.com/post/184421314126/larrikins-20152016-photoshop-dreamworks Richard Daskas' Tumblr post that has concept paintings.] Retrieved 09 Jul '19</ref> Additionally, on an unknown date, designer Gabriele Pennacchioli shared concept art from 2015 of Perry's family.<ref>[https://pennacchioli.artstation.com/ Gabriele Pennacchioli concept art for the film.] Retrieved 09 Jul '19</ref> It's unclear just how much of what's seen in the concept art was actually going to be used in the eventual film.
 
==Gallery==
===Videos===
===Animation Reels===
{{Video|perrow  =4
   |service1    =archiveorg
   |id1          =scott-lemmer-animation-reel-2018
  |description1 =Scott Lemmer's animation reel. ''Larrikins'' footage starting at 2:03.
   |service2    =archiveorg
  |id2          =alexis-wanneroy-animation-reel-2019
  |description2 =Alexis Wanneroy's animation reel.
  |service3    =archiveorg
  |id3          =alexis-wanneroy-pre-production-animation-reel-2019
  |description3 =Wanneroy's pre-production reel.
  |service4    =archiveorg
  |id4          =garret-lewis-animation-reel-2018
  |description4 =Garret Lewis' animation reel. Clips from ''Larrikins'' at 0:36 and 1:00.
}}
{{Video|perrow =3
  |service1    =archiveorg
  |id1          =dave-weatherlys-character-development-reel-2017
  |description1 =Dave Weatherly’s character development reel, from 2017.
   |service2    =archiveorg
   |id2          =dave-weatherlys-character-animation-reel-2019
   |description2 =Dave Weatherly’s 2019 animation reel. ''Larrikins'' footage at 0:30, 2:24 and 4:22.
  |service3    =archiveorg
  |id3          =dreamworks-larrikins-early-version-boards
  |description3 =Rune Bennickes' storyboard.
 
}}
 
===Character Renders===
These character renders were uploaded by Hyun Huh, head of modeling at DreamWorks Animation, on May 2017, a couple of months after ''Larrikins''' cancellation.
{{Video|perrow  =4
  |service1    =archiveorg
  |id1          =larrikins-auntie-render
  |description1 =Auntie.
  |service2    =archiveorg
  |id2          =larrikins-hotspur-n-dorset-render
  |description2 =Hotspur n' Dorset.
  |service3    =archiveorg
  |id3          =larrikins-kylie-render
  |description3 =Kylie.
  |service4    =archiveorg
  |id4          =larrikins-ancient-render
  |description4 =Ancient.
}}
}}
==External Links==
 
*[https://dreamworks.fandom.com/wiki/Larrikins DreamWorks Animation Wiki page] Retrieved 09 Jul '19
===Concept Art===
*[https://twitter.com/peterdeseve/status/1080637923182239744?lang=en Peter de Seve concept art] Retrieved 09 Jul '19
====Peter de Sève====
*[https://pennacchioli.artstation.com/ Gabriele Pennacchioli concept art] Retrieved 09 Jul '19
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
*[https://rdaskas.tumblr.com/post/184421314126/larrikins-20152016-photoshop-dreamworks Richard Daskas concept art] Retrieved 09 Jul '19
PeterDeSeveLarrikins1.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins2.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins3.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins4.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins5.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins6.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins7.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins8.jpg
PeterDeSeveLarrikins9.jpg
</gallery>
====Gabriele Pennacchioli====
<gallery mode=packed heights=150px>
Gabriele-pennacchioli-bibly-family-05.jpg|Perry's family
Gabriele-pennacchioli-bilby-bro2.jpg|Perry's brother
Gabriele-pennacchioli-bilby-bro-exp-03.jpg|Perry's other brother
Gabriele-pennacchioli-bilby-pa-02.jpg|Perry's father
Gabriele-pennacchioli-croc-jack-07.jpg|A crocodile named Jack
Gabriele-pennacchioli-croc-lar-croc-a-01.jpg|Jack and a second unnamed crocodile
Gabriele-pennacchioli-snake-01.jpg|Unnamed viper
</gallery>
====Richard Daskas*====
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
RichardDaskasLarrikins1.jpg|Red the Kangaroo
RichardDaskasLarrikins2.jpg
RichardDaskasLarrikins3.jpg
RichardDaskasLarrikins4.jpg
RichardDaskasLarrikins5.jpg|Perry facing an unnamed crocodile. This artwork potentially became the basis of one of the clips seen in Alexis Wanneroy's animation reel.
</gallery>
''*Character designs by Peter de Sève and Pierre Perifel.''
====Other====
<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
ElliottArkinBilbySculpture.jpg|Sculpture of Perry, by Elliott Arkin
</gallery>
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost films]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]

Revision as of 07:52, 12 November 2021

Poster for Bilby, the short based on Larrikins.

Status: Partially Found

Larrikins is an animated comedy musical that was at one point in development at DreamWorks Animation. First announced in 2013, the movie was based on an original story written by screenwriter Harry Cripps, which told the story of a bilby named Perry who leaves home alongside Red the kangaroo to travel across the Australian Outback.

The movie had actors such as Hugh Jackman, Margot Robbie, and Naomi Watts set to star in unspecified roles; English-Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin held the helm of the project, writing songs for the movie, as well co-directing it alongside DreamWorks veteran Chris Miller. The movie was slated for a February 16th, 2018 release, which would have made it the first DreamWorks Animation movie to be distributed by Universal Pictures, after the latter’s parent company, Comcast, acquiring the animation studio in March 2016.

Cancellation and Bilby

On March 5th, 2017, Tim Minchin announced on his personal blog that DreamWorks had cancelled Larrikins.[1] However, with the movie far into production, members of Larrikins’ production team, Liron Topaz, Pierre Perifel and JP Sanscertain, made use of the assets already made for the film, like character and background models, and came up with the short film Bilby, titled after the main character’s species, which premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2018.[2]

On December 21st, 2018 Bilby was uploaded to DreamWorks' official YouTube channel, but was deleted sometime afterward, however it was released as a bonus feature on the Blu Ray release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

In an interview for the website Film Stories, in April 2020, Tim Minchin revealed that after its cancellation, studios like Netflix and Animal Logic wanted to buy the rights to the movie, but with no avail, for he claimed that Universal made it non-viable for purchase, likely due to DreamWorks' commitment to Bilby at the time.[3]

Surfaced Footage

Months after the movie's cancellation, animators have uploaded character and animation reels with work done for DreamWorks, most notably featuring footage from Larrikins, starting with Dave Weatherly, who uploaded on December 7th 2017 a six minute-long character reel, three of which dedicated to the cancelled movie. Several people who worked on the movie followed suit.

On September 26, 2018, animator Scott Lemmer uploaded on his Vimeo account an animation reel showing footage from Larrikins. On January 29th, 2019, Alexis Wanneroy, former animation supervisor at DreamWorks, also uploaded onto his Vimeo account another reel showing footage from both Bilby and Larrikins, as well as B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, another unreleased DreamWorks project. A couple of days later, on February 9th, Wanneroy uploaded a pre-production reel showing additional animation from both cancelled movies. Roughly 50 seconds of footage consists of animation tests from Larrikins, while 25 more seconds come from two finished scenes, one of which features Perry, which would become the eponymous character from the short Bilby.

On September 22, 2019, animation director Rune Bennicke uploaded two storyboard reels on his Twitter account.[4][5]

Concept Art

Shortly after the movie's cancelation, illustrator and character designer Peter de Sève shared concept art of Larrikins.[6][7] de Sève shared more Larrikins concept art after Bilby being released online.[8]

On April 24th, 2019, DreamWorks art director Richard Daskas shared concept paintings on Tumblr, crediting de Sève and animator Pierre Perifel for the character design.[9] Additionally, on an unknown date, designer Gabriele Pennacchioli shared concept art from 2015 of Perry's family.[10] It's unclear just how much of what's seen in the concept art was actually going to be used in the eventual film.

Gallery

Videos

Animation Reels

Scott Lemmer's animation reel. Larrikins footage starting at 2:03.

Alexis Wanneroy's animation reel.

Wanneroy's pre-production reel.

Garret Lewis' animation reel. Clips from Larrikins at 0:36 and 1:00.

Dave Weatherly’s character development reel, from 2017.

Dave Weatherly’s 2019 animation reel. Larrikins footage at 0:30, 2:24 and 4:22.

Rune Bennickes' storyboard.

Character Renders

These character renders were uploaded by Hyun Huh, head of modeling at DreamWorks Animation, on May 2017, a couple of months after Larrikins' cancellation.

Auntie.

Hotspur n' Dorset.

Kylie.

Ancient.

Concept Art

Peter de Sève

Gabriele Pennacchioli

Richard Daskas*

*Character designs by Peter de Sève and Pierre Perifel.

Other

References