Tim Minchin
Tim Minchin, comedian, composer, and musician from the Land Down Under, got handed some bad news by DreamWorks Animation execs last week–his animated feature that was in development was canned.
Called Larrikins, Minchin’s film was an animated musical comedy set in the Australian Outback. Minchin was co-director of the project along with DreamWorks’ Chris Miller. Fellow Aussies Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, and Margot Robbie were slated for the voice cast.
Minchin shared the news on his official website. He stated:
I’ve recently been working in 3 different continents, missing my kids a lot, sleeping too little and not playing piano enough.
And then a couple of days ago, the animated film to which I’ve dedicated the last 4 years of my life was shut down by the new studio execs.
The only way I know how to deal with my impotent fury and sadness is to subject members of the public to the spectacle of me getting drunk and playing ballads [referring to a concert he gave on March 6th in New York City].
Although this is a blow, Minchin’s work continues to enjoy success. He is the composer of the hit musical play Matilda which is currently on tour in the U.S. (I saw it a couple of weeks ago in Salt Lake City and it’s a fun show). His musical adaptation of Groundhog Day has been a hit on London’s West End and previews begin on Broadway this month.
DreamWorks Animation clearly is figuring out its future under its new management team at Universal. We’re sorry that Larrikins won’t be part of it.
Animation Fascination 
This is really sad for me; it was probably the Dreamworks Animation film that I was looking forward to the most. I feel so bad for Minchin as well as the workers on the film and Margot Robbie, Hugh Jackman, etc.
It really is a bummer. It sounded like such a creative film. It will be interesting to see what kind of films will be coming out of DreamWorks Animation under their new management. Let’s hope for the best, even with this decision.