The ‘Corpse Bride’ and ‘Frankenweenie’ screenwriter joins director Pete Candeland on the project, which follows a theater-loving high school student who is lured into an endless bacchanal in search of her missing mother.
John August (Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Aladdin) is now on board to write an upcoming untitled stop-motion animated feature from LAIKA. Pete Candeland will direct. The announcement was made at Annecy 2025 by LAIKA President & CEO Travis Knight.
Inspired by an original idea from Candeland, the story follows a theater-loving high school student who is lured into a endless bacchanal in search of her missing mother.
“I’m thrilled to be back in the world of stop-motion animation working with a team of incredible artisans telling stories one frame at a time,” said August. “Truly everything about stop-motion is time-consuming and difficult, but the results have a texture and authenticity that can’t be replicated. You can feel the fingerprints of everyone who touched it.”
August wrote Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie, both in collaboration with Tim Burton. His live-action writing credits include Big Fish (2003), for which he received a BAFTA nomination; Charlie’s Angels (2000); Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), among others. August co-hosts the popular Scriptnotes podcast with Craig Mazin.
Source: LAIKA
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
