The Weinstein Company has announced that Academy Award nominee Edward Norton (Birdman, The Grand Budepest Hotel), comedian Jim Gaffigan, Bella Thorne (Scream: The TV Series), Mike Birbiglia (Orange is the New Black) and Randall Park (The Interview) have joined the voice cast of The Guardian Brothers.
TWC Co-Chairman, Harvey Weinstein commented: “Animation is unique in that, the lessons and values that underline the stories transcend culture and language in truly universal ways. We’re thrilled to have such an incredibly talented cast of actors bring this story of acceptance and adapting to change to kids and families all over the world.”
Writer and director Gary Wang added “Harvey and the TWC team have put together a cast that is more than amazing. It’s thrilling and surreal to see the characters come alive again, changed and yet the same. We hope the audience around the world would enjoy the movie.”
Initially distributed in China by Alibaba Pictures under the original title The Little Door Gods, TWC is recording an English dub for the film whose cast already includes Meryl Streep playing the film’s storyteller, Mel Brooks, and Nicole Kidman. The film is written and directed by Gary Wang and produced by Zhou Yu and Light Chaser Animation Studios.
The Guardian Brothers follows a Chinese family in danger of losing its family owned business – a wonton soup shop that’s been passed down generation after generation for hundreds of years. When the family’s grandmother passes away, the restaurant is left in the hands of a little girl named Raindrop (Thorne) and her mother (Kidman). Millions of miles away in the Spirit World, we meet The Guardians – who have watched over and protected the humans on Earth for centuries. Times are tough up in the Spirit World and two brother Guardians are forced to retire from the business they’ve loved since the beginning of time. Back down on Earth, Raindrop and her mom are fending off a rival soup shop owner’s attempt to sabotage the family restaurant. When the retired Guardian brothers find out, they spring into action – and that’s where our adventure begins.
