Hot Project: Cinco Paul To Make Directorial Debut On Imagine/Warner Music Group Animated Film ‘Winter Wonderland’:

EXCLUSIVE: Cinco Paul is set to make his feature animation directorial debut on Winter Wonderland, the live-action/stop-motion animated film built around the classic holiday song. The pic is a collaboration between Imagine Kids+Family and Warner Music Group. Deadline previously reported that Paul would be writing original songs for the film.

Paul’s credits include co-writing with Ken Daurio the Despicable Me trilogy, Minions, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax and The Secret Life of Pets, as well as serving as the showrunner and songwriter for Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. Those animated films have grossed over $4 billion at the box office.

Winter Wonderland is being shopped to find a home this week. Paul has created and written a family film anchored by the classic holiday song and featuring original songs written by him. Imagine Kids+Family and WMG — the song is controlled by Warner Chappell Music — are co-producing and co-financing the film.

The pic is produced by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Imagine Kids+Family President Stephanie Sperber, along with WMG’s Charlie Cohen, President of TV & Film at Warner Music Entertainment; Meredith Milton, WMG consultant and producer; and Kurt Deutsch, SVP Theatrical and Catalog at Warner Chappell Music.

Winter Wonderland is the first project to emerge from Imagine’s and WMG’s multi-year strategic partnership to co-produce and co-finance a slate of music-centered projects across multiple mediums, including film, television, documentary, and other short-form content.

Paul is repped by Gersh.

View this article at Deadline.