Cantilever Partners with Architect for Exciting Animated Movie Adaptation of ‘Bird Brain’
Joint Venture Launches for Animated Films
In a significant move within the animation industry, Cantilever Media has partnered with sales and financing firm Architect to establish a joint venture, targeting the production of two animated films per year. Their inaugural project is a family feature adaptation of Guy Kennaway’s novel Bird Brain, directed by Dana Dorian, known for her work on Lego City Adventures.
The joint venture encompasses financing and international sales. Cantilever has also introduced its own distribution entity, Kazoo Films, focusing on animated projects in the UK and Ireland. The collaborative effort with Architect will oversee sales in markets outside these regions.
Cantilever Media is already involved in several projects, including Bollywoof and Wed Wabbit, which, like The Amazing Maurice and its forthcoming sequel, are original offerings for Sky Cinema. However, with Sky not committing to additional original productions, Cantilever has sought new partnerships and financing avenues for its animated family films. This includes a co-production deal with DNEG’s ReDefine Originals and collaborations with Viva Pictures for U.S. distribution.
Moving forward, ReDefine Originals will serve as the animation studio for Cantilever’s films. Kazoo Films will manage UK rights, while the joint venture with Architect will handle global sales. The current project, Bird Brain, which has a budget of approximately $13 million, will be a collaborative effort among Cantilever, ReDefine Originals, Kazoo Films, and Architect, with progress being made on the script and design work in Berlin.
The film adapts Kennaway’s story, following Basil “Banger” Peyton-Crumb, a seasoned British aristocrat with a passion for game hunting. After a mishap during a hunting trip leaves him transformed into a pheasant, he must navigate his new existence while uniting with former prey to survive. Although Netflix previously held an option on the book, Cantilever quickly seized the opportunity after that arrangement lapsed.
Architect was founded in 2023 by Calum Gray, Max Pirkis, Patrick Fischer, and Richard Kondal, in collaboration with Creativity Capital and Big Safari. Discussing the new joint venture, Gray emphasized the expertise of Cantilever’s team, stating, “Andrew and the Cantilever Team are some of the very best practitioners of animation outside the US studio system.” He added that pooling insights from international markets and UK distribution will enhance story design and development from the very beginning.
Baker, reflecting on the partnership, noted, “When we’d launched Kazoo, we said that one day we could really do having a sales agency partnership. We were looking at who we could work with, and precisely at that moment, Max and Callum approached me and said: ‘Our buyers, the other distributors, are asking if we have any animation, we really need animation.’” This led to the agreement for Architect to sell animated features produced by Cantilever, aiming to release two films each year.
