Peter Jackson’s WETA working on animatronic Wind in the Willows

If you were ever a child (which I assume is true for most of you), you probably have read The Wind in the Willows at some point or another. The classic book follows the adventures of four animals in England, and has seen many movie adaptations over the years.

Well, chalk up one more, as Peter Jackson’s WETA is starting work on an animatronic version of the book, which will be directed by Roy Griggs. According to Variety, the film has $30M budget and will be a blend of the robotic tech and live action.

This caught me off guard at first, as I can’t remember the last animatronic movie I’ve seen. NEVERENDING STORY maybe? JURASSIC PARK to an extent? Most animatrionics these days are converted to mo-cap CGI, and the only thing close recently would probably be Wes Anderson’s FANTASTIC MR. FOX, but that was stop motion.

It could be a cool little throwback to a forgotten era of kids shows and movies, and it’s a good story to work with for sure. Looking forward to seeing how the idea works in action.