Comedian Harland Williams Partners with Rainmaker Ent. for Animated Feature Film
Rainmaker Entertainment (Toronto:RNK.TO), the multifaceted animation studio and one of Canada’ largest producers of CG animation, is partnering with the offbeat and highly unique Harland Williams on the development and production of an original animated feature film based on the adventures of the company’s mascots, Ting & Juma. The announcement was made today by Catherine Winder, President and Executive Producer, Rainmaker Entertainment.
“There’s no way of knowing what the always unpredictable Harland Williams will say or do next, but his wit and creativity make him an incredible asset to this original project. Harland naturally brings such an innovative comedic and quirky sensibility to the process which is perfectly fitting with the direction we are taking our slate of films at Rainmaker,” said Winder.
“Having a creative outlet in animation is always inspiring,” added Williams. “With Rainmaker Entertainment and its’ highly talented team of artists, producers and directors, I’m like a kid in a candy store and can’t wait to get to work. I’m ready to take the characters of Ting and Juma to a new level and for the first time give them a real voice.”
With a wealth of comedy experience, ranging from feature films Dumb and Dumber, Half-Baked, and There’s Something About Mary to stand-up comedy performances for HBO, Comedy Central, CTV and CBC as well as regular appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O’Brian, Harland is known as the host of The Harland Highway, an internet podcast that features his jokes, commentary, interviews, observations and hilarious reoccurring characters. He’s also featured in Disney’s upcoming live action feature Spooky Buddies.
In addition to his on-screen roles, Harland has provided voices for several animated productions including the role of Monster in Nickelodeon’s Robot & Monster and as Pantsy in Disney’s Kick Buttowski. Harland is also an accomplished author and illustrator of his own series of children’s books involving a little brontosaurus named Lickety Split.
Rainmaker Entertainment has produced a number of original short animation films, most starring the company’s mascots, Ting and Juma. The characters were first introduced in Stumped, a 50-second short unveiled at 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver which had the duo creating a new snow sport. The short played at numerous venues during the Olympic Games, including the BC Canada Pavilion and at the VX 2010 Showcase. Most recently, Ting and Juma starred in Zapped! which is being screened on YouTube.