‘Toy Story’ Writers, Ben Stassen Team on $25 Million Animated Feature ‘The Inseparables’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Ben Stassen’s nWave Studios (“The Son of Bigfoot,””Sammy”) is set to produce “The Inseparables,” a $25 million animated feature based on an original idea by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, the Oscar-nominated writers of “Toy Story.”

The feature is being jointly produced by nWave Studios in Belgium, Octopolis in France and A Contracorriente Films in Spain.

Cohen and Sokolow penned the feature with Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen (“Paw Patrol,” “Bigfoot”), Matthieu Zeller and Jérémie Degruson.

Degruson, who previously directed some of nWave Studios’ biggest animated hits “The House of Magic,” “Bigfoot Junior” and Bigfoot Family,” is on board to helm “The Inseparables.”

The animated buddy movie follows the misadventures of Don, a runaway puppet with a boundless imagination and, DJ Doggy Dog, an abandoned stuffed animal toy in need of a friend, as they cross paths in Central Park and pair up against all odds for an epic adventure of friendship in New York City.

The movie will be delivered in July 2023 in both 2D and 3D formats. International sales are being handled by nWave and Octopolis, which are both part of MZM, the production group launched by Matthieu Zeller, a well-respected former Studiocanal executive.

nWave and Octopolis previously handled international sales on “Chickenhare” and “Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness.” Zeller said the company is now handling worldwide distribution on its movies. The banner boasts output deals with several key distributors such as BelgaFilm, VolgaFilm and ScanBox. nWave previously worked with Studiocanal and then Charades on sales.

nWave Studios has been a leading purveyor of ambitious European animated features for independent distributors. Its best-known film credits include “A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures,” “The House of Magic,” “The Wild Life,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “The Son of Bigfoot.” All have been directed or co-directed by Stassen and have racked up more than $300 million at the worldwide box office.

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