Apple Lands 'Little Santa' Animated Feature Film

Apple Original Films has landed "Little Santa," a new animated feature film based on the popular and beloved children's book by award-winning author and illustrator Jon Agee. The musical comedy reunites Apple with Academy Award and Annie Award-winning director Peter Baynton, who won an Oscar for Apple's animated short "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse".



The story follows a young Santa Claus on an Oz-like trek through the North Pole, where he meets and inspires a cast of offbeat friends who will create Christmas and remind the world to believe. Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords will write original songs for the film. The script is written by Martin Hynes, who co-wrote the Academy Award-winning "Toy Story 4." Producer Julia Pistor's credits include "Nacho Libre," "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," and "The Magician's Elephant."


"Little Santa" will be animated by WildBrain, with pre-production handled by WildBrain's House of Cool. Baynton directs, Pistor produces, and Hynes serves as executive producer alongside McKenzie.

The film joins Apple's growing family animation lineup, which includes the upcoming "Snoopy Unleashed" feature film, as well as "Wolfwalkers" and other family-focused originals available on Apple TV.