The Jim Henson Company is planning to produce a stop-animated feature called Monster Safari. The project began life as a short film from renowned stop-motion animation studio Screen Novelties that Henson executives Lisa Henson and Jason Lust saw and decided to spin into a feature. Mark Caballero, Chris Finnegan and Seamus Walsh from Screen Novelties - will animate and direct the project, while Craig Zobel and Matt Chapman are said to be penning the script. The film follows the adventures of Basil and Pang, two charmingly inept cryptozoologists in search of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other mythical beasts. However things become complicated when Buckminster, the world's most insane big-game hunter, begins hunting the beasts. Basil and Pang spring into action in an attempt to save the rare creatures from the ruthless hunter.
Jason Lust, Senior Vice President of Feature Films for the Jim Henson Company, said: "What's great about Screen Novelties is their look and feel is very Henson-esque. There was a stylistic similarity... [the writers] have a wry, witty sense of humour that fits perfectly with the Henson and the Screen Novelties approach to comedy."
