“Clay” approaches.
The brand-new animated original from Walt Disney Animation Studios was announced at D23 by chief creative officer Jared Bush, who announced the project and said that it will arrive in theaters in 2028. Bush also noted that Emmy- and Oscar-winning actor Kieran Culkin will play Flip.
Bush said that Disney Animation has a long and storied history of great mentor characters, like Merlin from “The Sword in the Stone” or Phil from “Hercules.” But “Clay” answers the question, What if that mentor was really lousy? Enter Flip. According to the official synopsis, Flip “is unwillingly chosen during a yearly ritual to mentor a young, impressionable ball of clay named Mushy.” Afterwards “the unlikely duo is swept into a chaotic, funny and ultimately life-changing adventure.” Sounds pretty wild, right?
Incredibly, “Clay” will be directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn, who is currently helming “Hexed” alongside Jason Hand. It will be produced by Peter Del Vecho.
The production art that Bush shared on stage was striking and extremely bizarre. The entire world of “Clay” is a ground-up fantasy scenario, with imagery that feels indebted to Jeff Smith and his sprawling “Bone” saga, along with role playing videogames and lord knows what else.
Veerasunthorn is one of the most exciting filmmakers working at Disney Animation; she stepped to foster “Wish” across the finish line with veteran director Chris Buck and has a long history as one of the very best story artists, along with serving as head of story on “Raya and the Last Dragon.” The fact that we’ll be getting two features from her in just two years is pretty amazing.
“Clay” will hit theaters on November 22, 2028.
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