Mel Brooks Lends Voice to Animated Short

Actor, comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks and Spencer Grammer (Rick and Morty, Greek) have joined the voice cast of the new CGI short film Enormous.

Written by Stephen Kramer Glickman (Big Time Rush, Storks), the eight-minute film is inspired by Glickman’s personal journey of overcoming depression with help of his dog’s love. In the short, a man is devastated after a break with his girlfriend and sinks into depression until his pug, Jelly Donut, finds a way to help him rediscover joy.

The creative team behind Enormous includes director Doug Sweetland (Toy Story; Cars; Monsters, Inc.; Finding Nemo); producer Jackson Lewis (Lego Ninjago, Lego Batman, Storks); art director Sylvain Deboissy (A Goofy Movie, Spirit, Surf’s Up, How to Train Your Dragon); editor Chris Cartagena (Happy Feet, Storks, Space Jam: A New Legacy); and director of photography Cortney Armitage (Monsters, Inc.; Finding Nemo; Cars; Ratatouille).

Demente Animation Studio (Thomas & Friends, Hello Kitty, Night of the Animated Dead), led by CEO Carlos Gaxiola, will handle preproduction. Animation will be produced by Digitoonz (Fright Krewe, 100% Wolf, Dora), under the leadership of founder and CEO Vikas Kumar.

Cookbook Media’s Claudia Scott-Hansen is executive producing and representing the team with strategic distribution partners. Other executive producers are Glickman, Sweetland, Kevin Salter, Gaxiola, Kumar, Alexandra Rosenberg and Maontosh Kumar. Divya Kumari and Divyanshi Misha will serve as producers for Digitoonz. Demente Animation Studio CFO Angel Ibarra and Head of Production Majo Calderón will be leading preproduction.

Enormous is scheduled for delivery in summer 2025. Scott-Hansen is attending MIPCOM 2024 and will be available to initiate discussions with broadcasters and distribution partners.

“I am extremely grateful to the icon that is Mel Brooks and to all of my talented colleagues who have come together to help make this passion project of mine a reality,” Glickman said. “I hope this little film with a huge heart inspires many who are going through life’s challenges to find joy again.”

“In a world with so many challenges, stories like Stephen’s hope-filled Enormous are very much needed, and I am honored to introduce this beautiful short to potential partners at the MIPCOM market this year,” Scott-Hansen commented.

“We are very excited to be part of this beautiful story of resilience and love for animals that needs to be told,” Gaxiola said. “We are delighted to team up with the Enormous creative team and to collaborate with our partners at Digitoonz. Without a doubt, a great collaborative and multidisciplinary project where everyone makes a great contribution.”

Kumar added, “Digitoonz is thrilled to produce the animation for this beautiful film. We were hooked immediately when reading the script for Enormous and are delighted to be working with all of the talented teams involved to create a truly unforgettable short film.”