Paramount Buries Original Animated Film 'Under The Boardwalk'
The film has a limited theatrical release instead of the Paramount+-exclusive release it was previously assigned
There is a new original animated film in theaters this weekend, and odds are it’s been a long time since you’ve heard about it. Odds are even higher you’ve seen nothing from it. That’s Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies’s Under the Boardwalk, and it just released its first trailer on Tuesday, three days before its limited theatrical release.
Paramount’s synopsis for the film reads: “When timid Jersey crab Armen meets bold tourist sea crab Ramona, it causes shell-shocking tension in the community. But when the duo are swept away by a storm, they embark on an epic journey to find home. Their courage unites their families, paving the way for great summers to come, Under the Boardwalk.”
Paramount Reckons Delays For 'Mission: Impossible', 'A Quiet Place' and 'SpongeBob'
Paramount would move its own mountains to shuffle its theatrical release schedule before meeting its talent to give them a fair contract. While we don’t yet know what Disney’s other dominos are following the dislodge of Deadpool 3 to a still-unconfirmed new date, it is indeed Paramount who was the next to make moves.
Directed by Turbo and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie director David Soren, who co-wrote the screenplay with Lorene Scafaria, Under the Boardwalk was announced in 2019 as Jersey Crabs and touted as a Grease-like musical on the Jersey Shore starring crabs. Originally set for a July 22, 2022 release, it had been removed from the schedule in January 2022 when Paramount acquired Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, eventually moving that release date up a week to July 15.
Shortly before the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, cowardice was reported. Paramount would move away from releasing original animated films in theaters in fear of box office failure, and Under the Boardwalk would be released straight to Paramount+, putting such into practice. While this clearly didn’t happen, it was the last that would be heard before this sudden limited release. No on-air or social media marketing for certain
Under the Boardwalk stars Michael Cera, Keke Palmer, and Bobby Cannavale, and features Ron Funches, Jon Rudnitsky, and E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt. The film will be available for purchase on PVOD digital marketplaces starting November 7 showing the brevity of the theatrical release. The trailer can be watched below.
Netflix Animation Restructuring With Gutting Layoffs; Becomes Skydance's New Partner
Netflix’s animation unit and its film slate will soon be restructured. That means layoffs, position eliminations and two films currently in pre-production have been shut down. Exact numbers are unclear but they’re supposed to happen in coming weeks. The streamer confirmed such without speaking further.
Source: CartoonBrew
Did they use the Drifters' hit from the 1960s of the same name on the soundtrack?