GERMANY / FILE: Hollywood is looking at making an animated film about Berlin's baby polar bear Knut

Record ID: 721366

  • Title: GERMANY / FILE: Hollywood is looking at making an animated film about Berlin's baby polar bear Knut
  • Date: 7th January 2008
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF KNUT PLAYING IN HIS PEN
  • Embargoed: 22nd January 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA5155MOZ7KI8FPBJQD6XG813LH
  • Story Text: Berlin's Zoo could be close to signing a deal with a Hollywood studio about an animated film about their baby polar bear, Knut.
    Knut stole the heart of Berliners after he was born in December but rejected by his mother Tosca. A bearded zookeeper moved into the enclosure to look after him round the clock. But Knut's fate grabbed global attention after an animal rights campaigner said hand-rearing polar bears was a violation of animal rights. German media interpreted his comments as a call for Knut to be put to sleep. Now he is set to follow in the footsteps of Hollywood stars "Nemo" and "Shrek".
    Hollywood producer Ash R. Shah has offered the zoo 10,000 dollars in advance for the film rights, and according to the local Berliner Zeitung they have the possibility of five million dollars in royalties once the movie has launched.

    "It's been blown out of proportion a bit, like it always is with the press," the zoo director. What is true is that there are various people interested in making an animated film about Knut. And what one of the papers is reporting is that there is an offer for such a film from the United States. But the amounts of money mentioned are not existent. What is certain, is the guarantee of 100,000 dollar," Bernhard Blaskiewitz told Reuters TV. He said there were also other offers.

    "It isn't such a big sum, but the zoo is glad for every euro and every cent which it can get, so it will go into our funds. Out of these funds we pay for recreation, education, protecting the environment and research."
    The film will deal with the story of Knut's life but will also touch on topics such as global warming and the plight of Knut's fellow polar bears in the wild.

    "Obviously there are sketches of how it should look, and it will be a fiction film, and whether that makes sense is not essential for such a film. Obviously it has to be natural, and it has to be positive. I mean they couldn't have a Knut character which picks up a gun and shoots the zoo keeper or the head of the zoo of course. But how cuddly or heartrending it is going to be, or who will provide the voices, there are already the wildest rumours about all that. As the Berliner says, none of that matters.
    In any case Knut remains a star, despite being now a rather large 120 kilo polar bear, he still draws hundreds of extra visitors to the Berlin zoo.
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