Blinky Bill Back In 3D

by Chris Brennan | September 21, 2011 15:30 | Edited September 21, 2011 15:30

One of Australia’s favourite animated children’s characters will return to the big screen in a new film.

A new film featuring iconic Australian children's character Blinky Bill is in the works, Flying Bark Productions recently confirmed. The film will be released in 3D and production is expected to begin later this year.

The film will be directed by Alex Weight, who has an impressive resume when it comes to animation and 3D technology, having worked with a number of leading studios and companies including Disney and Australia's Animal Logic. His credits include lead animator on the Oscar-winning Happy Feet and Animation Supervisor on Zack Snyder's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

Marie-Cecile Dahan has also been recruited as Line Producer on the film. Dahan's past producing and managerial credits include Avatar, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and District 9.

Flying Bark Productions' Managing Director, Jim Ballantine said that both would bring a great deal of Australian and international animation expertise to the film. "We are thrilled to have their creative talent on board," he said.

"Blinky Bill is a timeless Australian classic character so it is an absolute honour for our team at Flying Bark Productions to be bringing the stories of Blinky Bill and his Australian bush friends to life in 3D for a new generation of children - and of course for parents that grew up with this national treasure," Ballantine further commented.

Blinky Bill was originally made famous by the classic literary works of New Zealand-born Australian author Dorothy Wall in the 1930s.

Since then, the character has appeared on screen on a number of occasions, including in the 1980s puppet series The New Adventures of Blinky Bill and in cinemas in the hugely popular 1992 animated film Blinky Bill, The Mischievous Koala.

The latter was produced by Yoram Gross Film Studios. Gross' film told the story of Blinky Bill's childhood with his animal friends in the Australian bush and how the peace and charm of their existence was shattered by the destruction of their homes by humans. It spawned the animated TV series The Adventures of Blinky Bill.