Rainmaker Entertainment Unveils Development Slate

VANCOUVER: The Canadian animation studio Rainmaker Entertainment has a number of original projects in development, among them the theatrical movie Ogo and the series of holiday specials Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.

Ogo is centered on a Canadian water monster that is believed to reside in Lake Okanagan in the south-central interior of British Columbia. The comedic movie tells the story of a little girl who reveals the monster’s existence to the world, and then must do everything she can to protect it.

Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes is based on the 1939 children’s classic written by DuBose Heyward. The books tell of a country bunny who has always dreamed of being one of the five Easter bunnies chosen by the wise old Grandfather Bunny. The property is being developed for the TV and home-entertainment/DVD markets.

Also on Rainmaker’s development roster is Ting & Juma: The Movie, for which the Vancouver-based animation outfit is currently taking pitches from writers. Ting is a tiny alien with an attitude, while Juma is a forest dweller who is hungry for adventure. In the movie, Ting and Juma team up on a journey to find Ting’s home. Rainmaker’s artists created the characters and have already produced several short films about the pair’s exploits together.

Rainmaker, which purchased Mindframe Entertainment, is looking for distribution partners for these projects.

Catherine Winder, the company’s president and executive producer, commented, “Rainmaker is fully utilizing its resources—creative talent, storytelling and technical and artistic skills—to bring an exciting and entertaining array of ideas to the global animation film, television and home entertainment markets.” Winder added, “We have over 200 talented artists who are eager to set the company on a new course, leveraging our expertise in CG animation and our breakthrough animation techniques. Our team is also comprised of top-notch development veterans and, with our production acumen, we’re now ready to take Rainmaker to the next level in realizing our goals as a full-fledged animation studio.”