CMG Sells Annecy Presents Player ‘Buffalo Kids’ in Key Territories (EXCLUSIVE)
Beverly Hills-based Cinema Management Group has closed a first round of distribution deals for the animated kids and family feature “Buffalo Kids,” screening in this year’s Annecy Presents section at the prestigious French festival.
Adapted from the short film “Cuerdas” (“Strings”), “Buffalo Kids” is a frontier tale about two recently orphaned Irish siblings. The duo emigrate to America, landing in the urban wilderness of New York City, where their uncle Niall was meant to pick them up. When Niall, who normally resides in California, is a no-show, the kids set out to try and find their distant kin. What follows is a trans-continental odyssey across North America, including wild action sequences, new friends, and picturesque landscapes.
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Producer and co-writer Jordi Gasull said of the film: “The idea of adapting ‘Strings’ into a full-length feature has been in my heart for years, and to see it come to life is a dream come true for all of us involved. These characters mean so much to our team, especially our co-director Pedro Solis. This is a story about friendship and that staying together despite adversity yields great rewards.”
“Buffalo Kids” will make its theatrical debut in Spain in mid-August of this year, distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery Spain. WBD and the film’s lead producer, 4 Cats, have a strong relationship that recently resulted in the box office hit “Mummies,” which grossed $54 million globally.
Other recent 4 Cats titles include “Capture the Flag,” “TAD: The Lost Explorer” and “TAD: The Lost Explorer and The Secret of King Midas,” which combined have grossed more than $110 million worldwide.
Theatrical sales have also been closed with Warner Bros. Discovery in Italy, Best Film in Poland, NOS Lusomundo in Portugal, The Film Group in Greece, MegaCom Film in former Yugoslavia, Filmhouse in Israel, Front Row Entertainment in the Middle East and Nathan Studios in the Philippines.
CMG says offers are currently being considered from the U.K. and France.
“Buffalo Kids” is co-directed by Juan Jesus Garcia “Galo” (“Mummies”) and Pedro Solís (“Strings”). Atresmedia, Cine Anangu Group and Mogambo Entertainment partnered with 4 Cats on the project. Guadalajara’s Core Animation handled animation.
Headlining the voice cast for “Buffalo Kids” is “Abigail” and “Mathilda: The Musical” star Alisha Weir, who is joined by Stephen Graham (“Pirates of the Caribbean”), Gemma Arterton (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”) and Sean Bean (“Game of Thrones”).
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