Aug 15, 2014

Usagi Yojinbo" stop-motion short film, possible feature length

Stan Sakai's popular comic strip "Usagi Yojinbo" is to be produced as a feature film. Up-and-coming studio Lintika Films will produce the project. Lintika Films acquired the rights from Sakai based on the concept of a short film called "Usagi Yojimbo": The Last Request:

Lintika premiered the short film at the "30 Years of Usagi Yojimbo" panel at San Diego Comic-Con last month at the It was shown for the first time. Director Roel Robles told us that the short was made on a "very low budget" with the help of friends in the industry. We're talking to investors, so hopefully they'll fund it," Robles told Cartoon Brew. 'We're thinking of something spectacular. This short film was made on a shoestring budget, so imagine what we could do with a real film budget. If we could get the budget to make this film, it would look 100 times better."

Robles is an industry veteran, having worked on Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture films such as "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf" as well as concept artists for "Star Wars" episodes 1 and 2. Many Lucasfilm alumni are listed in the credits, including Robert Burns, Yuison Lee, Fong Davis, Ray Gilberti, Lauren Vogt, and Todd Fellows. It was wonderful to have so many friends from 'Star Wars' come along and help us on this journey," Robles said.

The immediate plan is to release the short film on DVD with a sound mix and bonus footage. The proceeds will go directly to Sakai, whose wife is battling brain cancer. For more information on the progress of the feature film and the upcoming DVD release of the short film, "Like" the Lintika Films Facebook page to learn more.