Henchmen, the first animated feature from Canada’s Bron Animation (based in Burnaby and Duncan, British Columbia) will open in select Canadian cities on Friday.

The film marks the feature directorial debut of Adam Wood, a Pixar veteran whose credits date back to Geri’s Game and A Bug’s Life, and who was also the animation director on Space Chimps and Escape from Planet Earth. Wood also wrote the original screenplay with Jay D. Waxman.

The studio’s plot synopsis:

In a world of super-villains, evil schemes and global domination…someone has to take out the Trash. Welcome to the world of Henchmen, third class. When a fresh-faced new recruit joins the Union of Evil, he is assigned to a motley crew of blue-collar workers led by fallen henchmen Hank. But when “The Kid” accidentally steals the super villain’s ultimate weapon, Hank must break his “risk nothing” code to save the boy he’s befriended, even if it means becoming the one thing he has always avoided…being a hero.

Bron Studios, which has a track record of producing and financing live-action films over the last decade, is moving into animation with multiple feature animation projects through its Bron Animation subsidiary. Their follow-up to Henchmen is Kris Pearn’s The Willoughbys, which Netflix recently announced it will distribute. We previewed the project last year.

Henchmen’s voice cast stars Thomas Middleditch, James Marsden, Rosario Dawson, Alfred Molina, Will Sasso, Nathan Fillion, Rob Riggle, Jane Krakowski, Craig Robinson, and Bobcat Goldthwait.

The film looks like a quality production on a budget with a distinctive painterly texturing style applied to both characters and backgrounds that helps set it apart from other cg films.

Entertainment One (eONe) is releasing Henchmen in Canada. A U.S. distributor has not been announced at this time.

"Henchmen" poster.
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Amid Amidi

Amid Amidi is Cartoon Brew's Publisher and Editor-at-large.

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