Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the Mexican film A Wizard’s Tale. It’s the company’s first animated feature acquisition.

Blue Fox will launch the film in the U.S. on Friday, September 14, with a day-and-date theatrical and VOD strategy.

Released last month in Mexico as Ahí Viene Cascarrabias, the film is based on the 1969 DePatie-Freleng tv series Here Comes the Grump, created by John Dunn.

A Wizard’s Tale was produced by Mexico’s Ánima Estudios, and two U.K. based companies: Prime Focus World (a unit of Double Negative) and GFM Animation. Producers are Fernando de Fuentes, Jose C. Garcia de Letona, Gregory Gavanski, Asif Sayed, and Bill Schultz.

The film is directed by Andres Couturier, who also helmed Anima’s 2015 feature Top Cat Begins. Some key American talent was involved in the development of the film, including writer Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown) and character designer Craig Kellman (Madagascar, Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania). English voice cast includes Lily Collins, Toby Kebbell, and Ian McShane.

A Wizard’s Tale has grossed around $4.5 million to date, with more than half of that figure coming from Italy, where it earned nearly $2 million, beating out the grosses of other 2018 animation releases like Early Man and Isle of Dogs. It has also grossed $993k in Mexico, $460k in Israel, and $357k in Poland, and $276k in Russia.

Still from "A Wizard's Tale."
Still from “A Wizard’s Tale.”
Still from "A Wizard's Tale."
Still from “A Wizard’s Tale.”
"A Wizard's Tale" poster.
“A Wizard’s Tale” poster.

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