Viva Kids Takes North America On Animated Family Film ‘Rally Road Racers’
Written by: Matt Grobar EXCLUSIVE: Viva Kids has nabbed North American rights to the animated family film Rally Road Racers (formerly Silk Road Rally), featuring the voices of Jimmy O. Yang (Patriots Day), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Chloe Bennet (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and more, slating it for a nationwide theatrical release on 1,500 or more screens on May 12.
The film comes on the heels of the critically acclaimed, animated indie The Amazing Maurice, featuring the voices of Emilia Clarke and Hugh Laurie, which played at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was released in around 2,000 theaters the following month by Viva, grossing over $19M worldwide.
It’s written and directed by Ross Venokur (Netflix’s Charming) and tells the inspiring story of a slow-moving mammal with a need for speed. To save his grandmother’s home from demolition, young Zhi wages a bet with Vainglorious, the reigning champion of the rally car circuit. With help from a former racing champion, Zhi enters the four-day Silk Road Rally in hopes of winning the cup and living out his racing dreams.
Also lending their voices to Viva’s latest are Lisa Lu (Crazy Rich Asians), Sharon Horgan (Game Night), Catherine Tate (Monster Family) and John Cleese (Trolls). Producers on the pic included Deepak Nayar of Kintop Pictures, John H. Williams of Vanguard Animation, Nik Bower, REP Productions 6 Ltd and Prime Focus.
“RALLY ROAD RACERS is a fast-paced, star-studded, commercial movie that will surely entertain audiences both young and old,” said Viva Kids’ theatrical distribution manager, Mayank Jhalani. “With this movie, we are very excited to emulate the same success we saw with The Amazing Maurice.”
Viva Pictures is an L.A.-based film production studio and all-rights distributor that has previously led production and distribution efforts on films both animated and live-action. Notable past titles include Tall Tales starring Justin Long and Kate Mara; StarDog and TurboCat starring Charlie D’Amelio; Cats starring Dermot Mulroney, 100% Wolf with Jane Lynch, Samara Weaving and Loren Gray; and an adaptation of the R.L. Stine book Zombie Town starring Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase and Madi Monroe.
Other upcoming Viva Kids releases include TAT Productions’ Epic Tails, Goldwyn Screenplay Winner Inspector Sun, and the anticipated sequel 200% Wolf. Viva’s Senior Vice President Laura Prieto negotiated the deal for Rally Road Racers with Riverstone Pictures’ Bower on behalf of the filmmakers.