Wizard of Menlo Park Hits Big Screen Again

For the first time since 1940 (when two Thomas Edison-centered movies were produced), the inventor of the light bulb is going to be the hero of a new feature film. In this case, an animated one.

Produced with a blend of stop-motion and digital animation, Edison & Neemo tells the story of the legendary inventor as an adventure-comedy. The film is a result of a partnership between Vancouver-based Mercury Filmworks and Perfect Circle Prods. Budgeted at $7 million Canadian, Edison is scheduled to commence production spring 2004. Perfect Circle’s Dean English will produce. William Morrison and James Dunnison are co-directing, with Karen Powell and Clint Eland sharing exec. producing chores.

"This is a very exciting film," says Eland. "From the first draft script Dean brought to us it was clearly an engaging story that would appeal to a diverse and international audience. By presenting it in a format such as stop-motion and 3D, we hope to achieve a unique look that does justice to the depth of (Edison’s) story."