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Sony Animation Bringing CGI Popeye Movie to the Big Screen

by Alex Billington
March 23, 2010

Late last year, we wrote about former Marvel exec Avi Arad picking up the rights to bring Popeye to the big screen. Although it's not much of an update, Variety has confirmed that Sony Pictures Animation will be animating and bringing the spinach-eating sailor Popeye to the big screen in an all-CGI animated movie. Mike Jones (of only The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break screenplay) landed the job of writing the script, but no director has been chosen yet. "I'm an unabashed, lifelong Popeye fan," said Jones. "Introducing this squinty-eyed sailor to a new generation also means reintroducing him to those who grew up with him."

King Features Syndicate controls the property and decided to bring it to Arad. "Scott [Sassa] called me and said, 'I have something for you,'" said Arad, who grew up watching Popeye short movies in Israel. "I literally started singing the famous Popeye song (after securing the rights). What always blew me away is the level of the animation. It was so beautiful and unbelievably detailed." Of course, this is also going to be arriving in 3D, but that's expected for pretty much every animated movie released these days. I'm not inherently excited for a Popeye movie, just because I don't have a connection with him like others do, but I guess I'll wait to see how it looks in a trailer first. It could turn out fairly entertaining. Is anyone actually excited for this?

Related categories: Movie News, Opinions

ddot3

It'll only be good if they get Robin Williams to do the voice over...
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

A loose link, but check this guys abstract paintings of Popeye's arms: http://vimeo.com/9706489 I like it wehn they melt into Blutos beard. Other than that, I couldn't give a sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyiiiiit about a Popeye film. Ug ug ug ug. Spinach.
Voice of Reason

Crapola, i will imagine you are referencing "The Wire" when you say, "sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyiiiiit" And I will second that. What a goddamn waste of money & time. Things like this, to me, makes me feel as though mega wealthy industries like Warner Brothers are saying to the world, "Hey you know all that terrible shit going on in the world today? Genocide? AIDS? Earthquakes? Unfathomable atrocities? Well, we've decided not to give $40 million in aide, and instead are making....wait for it.....POPEYE!!! I know, i know, hold your applause until the end...." barfaroo. movies like this should be made with prison-only animators and actors and grips doing community service.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

@Voice of Reason. I wish I was referencing The Wire, still haven't watched it yet, I think I'm going to try and watch it in chunks before my friends tell me everything about it. That's good I managed to capture the language of Baltimore though, bonus. Yeah, not really the best movie choice ever, but those money gears gotto be greased up!
Nada Nuff

I think these characters are far too old to try to resurrect. Kids won't know who they are, and the only people who'll be excited are the older crowd...you know, people who actually remember who Popeye is. @ Voice of Reason (LOL @ name) I don't understand why you expect privately owned businesses to donate extraordinary amounts of money to charity. Warner Brothers is doing what they are supposed to be doing--spending money with the expectation of a profit. You know, business. If they didn't do that, Warner Brothers would be no more. I understand that you don't like this project, but your argument is flawed. Warner Brothers is not responsible for helping "the world", and despite all the things going on around us, the entertainment industry still moves on.
Voice of Reason

No, I dont expect WB to help save the world, and I also dont have an argument....just an opinion, which is: Its the difference of throwing 40 million down the toilet VS. putting it towards something the world could actually benefit from. I think —realistically or fantastically— everyone could find some merit in a company that took such bravado. Besides its not like like companies, businesses if you will, donate to good causes as it were. But eff it, yes, its Hollywood, I know the machine will churn out shit regardless, but if they can dream up incomprehensible BS, then I can too.....so, yay for Popeye? Keep it coming?
Nada Nuff

Right, but funding Popeye isn't throwing 40 million down the toilet, it's business. Good business, if they turn a profit, and some at Sony think they will.
NY til I die

i fucking love spinach!!!!
People's Champ

Why bother??
olive oyl

Kids today don't know who the frig Popeye is. This smells of fail. Too much coke up the dollar bills again, movie execs!
Hattori Hanzo

Maybe they'll finally answer the age old question: Who is Sweet Pea's father?
Joe

Maybe kids today will come to learn who Popeye is. Aren't there quite a few examples of successful remakes of movies and revivals of characters? I know my kids got pretty excited about the Incredible Hulk back when they were too young to have read about him in comic books. And Iron Man too.
Dan

This will be shit, wait and see! Stop with the remakes, sequels prequels, please!!!
Andrew

Have you seen the picture of what Popeye is going to look like in this? It's probably one of the most terrifying images I've ever seen. Don't belive me, run a GIS for "CGI Popeye". If I was a parent and I didn't want to spend thousands on therapy, I wouldn't take my kids to see it.