First look at Illumination Entertainments upcoming untitled pet movie which is set to release in 2016

Deadline en Animatieblog bring the news that Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, The Lorax) and Universal Pictures announced a few of their upcoming projects.

Illumination founder and CEO Chris Melendandri has set Louis C.K., Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet and Ride Along’s Kevin Hart to voice the main characters in what is being called the Untitled Pets Movie. Meledandri is producing the 3D animated film with longtime collaborator Janet Healy. Chris Renaud, who helmed the first two Despicable Me films for Illumination, will direct this one, and the co-director is Yarrow Cheney, who helmed a short that will be part of The Minions DVD release. The script was written by Despicable Me scribes Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

This becomes the fifth animated film for Illumination and a return to an original property, and the Pets pic marks the first animated studio feature that Louis C.K, Stonestreet and Hart have taken part in.

 

 The log line for the feature reads:

“The action comedy is set in a Manhattan apartment building. After the two-legged residents head for work and school, their pets gather to start their day, which consists of hanging out, trading humiliating stories about their owners, and helping each other work up adorable looks that will lead to more snacks. The head hound is a quick witted terrier rescue (Louis C.K.), whose position at the epicenter of his master’s universe is suddenly threatened when she comes home with Duke (Stonestreet), a sloppy mongrel with no polish. The two soon find themselves on the mean streets of New York, where they meet the adorable white bunny Snowball (Hart). It turns out that Snowball is the leader of an army of pets that were abandoned and are determined to get back at humanity and every owner-loving pet. The dogs must thwart this plot and make it back in time for dinner.”

The film is the fifth animated feature Illumination has in production. The others are:

• The Minions, due out July 10, 2015;
• An unknown and untitled feature due Dec. 21, 2016;
• Despicable Me 3, due June 30, 2017;
• And Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, due Nov. 17, 2017.