Features Across the Atlantic

CG features get made in Europe too, y'know.

German mini-major Constantin Film has begun production on the animated feature Dragon Rider, based on the best-selling fantasy novel by author Cornelia Funke (Inkheart).

Johnny Smith, one of the screenwriters on Disney's 2011 hit Gnomeo & Juliet, adapted Funke's novel for the screen, with award-winner German shorts animator Tomer Eshed directing in what will be his feature debut. ...

Constanin is partnering with Cyborn, a Belgian animation studio with other movies in production and development. Cynorn announced Dragon Rider at Cannes last month. The feature is slated to hit theaters the summer of 2019. I've got no idea what the budget of this epic is, but Cyborn is doing another CG feature with a budget of $12.5 million ($14,000,000 Euros) split between two producing studios.

There are a raft of second and third-tier animated features produced around the world, and many of them do well in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, though audiences in the U.S. and Canada seldom see them in any major way. (These specimens would get English dubs from a distributor and show up on cable and/or the internet). Dragon Rider will likely fall into that category and have a similar size budget.