Hot on the heels of its licensing deal to produce action figures and other toys based on the hit game Among Us, Toikido has another property on the horizon.
The UK-based toymaker founded by Darran Garnham was named master toy partner for Back to the Outback, a Netflix Original animated feature slated to make its global streaming debut this fall. The feature is the directorial debut of filmmakers Clare Knight (editor on The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part and the Kung Fu Panda trilogy) and Harry Cripps.
Under the new deal, Toikido has global rights to create and market Back to the Outback toys, including action figures and plush.
Back to the Outback tells the story of a group of Australia’s deadliest creatures that escape a reptile house after growing tired of being gawked at by humans. The group is led by Maddie (voiced by Isla Fisher), a poisonous snake with a heart of gold, who bands together with a self-assured Thorny Devil lizard Zoe (Miranda Tapsell), a lovelorn hairy spider named Frank (Guy Pearce), and a sensitive scorpion Nigel (Angus Imrie). But when their nemesis, Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin) — a cute but obnoxious koala — unexpectedly joins their escape, Maddie and the gang have no choice but to take him with them on their cross-country road trip into the outback. The voice cast also includes Eric Bana, Diesel Cash La Torraca, Rachel House, Keith Urban, Celeste Barber, Wayne Knight, Lachlan Ross Power, and Jacki Weaver.
“Growing up in Australia, I spent a lot of time in the Blue Mountains which has many different types of snakes and spiders, and I always preferred them to the cute cuddly animals, so it’s such a treat to make a film where the heroes are these poisonous but beautiful little creatures,” says Cripps, who also penned the film’s screenplay. “This film is a love letter to Australia’s incredibly diverse and unique wildlife.”
Back to the Outback is executive produced by Academy Award Winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, Batman and Robin).
