Universal Pictures didn’t have much success trying to bring its beloved monster franchises to life in modern times (alas, poor Dark Universe), only striking gold recently after pairing up with indie horror studio Blumhouse Productions. But while Universal’s more famous monsters couldn’t get off the ground in adult-centric blockbusters, the studio is now hoping to find some success with the younger crowd as The Hollywood Reporter reveals that a Little Monsters movie is in development.
What is Little Monsters? Well, plot details for this original film is being kept under wraps, but THR’s sources describe it as “a love letter to classic Hollywood and the history of filmmaking with a story that takes a multigenerational approach to the monsters”. It will reportedly still use Universal’s classic monster library but with “an all-ages approach”.
And to bring this project to life, the studio is looking to one of the best in the business, with Josh Cooley, who is set to write and direct the movie. Having worked with Pixar on various films like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Inside Out, Cooley made his directorial debut with Toy Story 4 and showed that he is as perfectly at home in helming an animated project just as he is writing for one.
This project will be a little different for Cooley though, with Little Monsters set to be an animated/live-action hybrid monster film based on “the artistic outlines and character designs of concept artist Crash McCreery,”. It’s an interesting approach for this type of film and I’m intrigued to see exactly what the studio and Cooley have in store for this project.
As for the idea itself, I think it makes perfect sense for Universal who can introduce younger audiences to their beloved characters and make films that appeal to the whole family rather than a select few. They need to find some success with their numerous monster properties outside of their Blumhouse collaborations, and this could be one way of doing that.
Last Updated: July 14, 2020
